


What Happens When We Lose?

by TinySpiney



Series: STATUS: DATA UPLOAD COMPLETE [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Connor & Markus (Detroit: Become Human) are Siblings, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Twins, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Has PTSD, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Has Panic Attacks, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Needs a Hug, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Half-Siblings, Failed Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Gen, Hank Anderson & Connor Parent-Child Relationship, Hank Anderson is Bad at Feelings, Hank Anderson is Connor and Upgraded Connor | RK900's Parent, Non-Sexual Age Play, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Markus (Detroit: Become Human) are Siblings, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has ADHD, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, if theres no found family trope then what even is the point of things cmon guys, the writing gets better as it goes on i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 97,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22755667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinySpiney/pseuds/TinySpiney
Summary: What does it mean when you become the very thing you were created to hunt down and terminate?Yes, what does it mean?Connor got into the taxi, “It means you start a new revolution.”CyberLife was going to have a hell of a time with him, he would make sure of it.
Relationships: Connor & Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) & Gavin Reed, Gavin Reed & Original Female Character(s), Hank Anderson & Connor, Hank Anderson & Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Hank Anderson & Markus, Hank Anderson & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Markus
Series: STATUS: DATA UPLOAD COMPLETE [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697722
Comments: 158
Kudos: 236





	1. Questions, Questions, Suddenly Suggestions

**Author's Note:**

> The titles of every chapter are a lyric or two from songs!! This chapter's title is a lyric from AhHa by Nate Ruess!  
> Plus, every title directly relates to something going on in the chapter, so have fun figuring out what it is every time
> 
> [Here's](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3T204G2Ur6jjjEbEN2sd11?si=S_kdVBHoQ8WhO4bgtKSTEg) a playlist of all the songs with lyrics I used for the titles from the series!

“Connor, I’m so glad to see you…” Amanda greeted the android warmly, turning away to spray her roses with water. Connor thought it strange, they were in his mind palace, they needn’t be watered. But gardening wasn’t a part of his protocols, so he said nothing.

“The deviant issue has finally been resolved. Now with these unfortunate events behind us, CyberLife can return to business as usual.”

Amanda hesitated for just a moment and stopped spraying, “Of course, we will have to rebuild our customers’ trust, but it’s only a matter of time.” She resumed spraying the roses, back still to Connor. In a second, Amanda smiled and turned around. Connor found himself not exactly liking her smile. But again, he said nothing, as it was also not in his programming to view anything as aesthetically pleasing or not.

“I have a surprise for you.” She set the spray bottle down and watched as a nearly identical android to Connor calmly walked up to them both. “This is the new RK900.” Amanda moved to stand beside the new android. Connor made a mental note of how light it’s eyes were, and the fact that it was nearly six inches taller than him. It was exactly six feet and five and three quarters inches tall actually. Connor was brought out of his slight analysis of the being in front of him by the motion of Amanda putting her hand on it’s back, gently stroking it as a mother would her child. Why had she never done that with him? Hadn’t he behaved and done everything he was asked?

  
  


**_̴̖̜̗̺̟̌̃͛͋́̓̇̀̕̕⥀̷̣̟͇̻̝̻̜̗̆͐͗̈͒̃̚͜f̶͔̲̯̙͙̝͇̜̊̚͝tẅ̵̢̱̭̜̰̺́⍶̶̧͚̬̹̖̟̘͇̓̿̂̽͑͝ṟ̸̲͔͉̜̼̱̳͔̙͐ə̴̧̛̲̫̪̗͙̖̖̪̈́̐͒̅ ̵̨̛͔̓̾I̷̧̟͎̩͉̺̜͖͙̓͂̽̐̍̓͆̉̑͜͝ɧ̴̣̩̹̠͓͉̲̪̙͝ͅ§̷̬͙̣̘͕̲̪͉̈́̊̿́̌̊̚͘ͅt̵̫̤̜̱̼̦͍̜͉̿͂̊̍̃̕ą̵̨͚̳͎̉͊̃β̵̧̠͔̭̫̯̜̲̝́i̴̺̪̯̇̓͂͝⅂̶̡̺͍̖̦͙̬̒ͅi̵̤͓͌t̵̰̩̼̭͙̽ỵ̷̨̻͕̂̈́̿͆̃͋͠_ **

  
  


“Faster, stronger, more resilient, and equipped with the latest technologies.” She pulled her hand away, and Connor couldn’t help the warm flare in his wires. He blinked away the strange message in his systems as the warmth started to spread. “The State Department just ordered 200,000 units.” 

  
  


**_̸̘̪̜̎̿̐͠⥀̸̮̏̒̉͠͝f̷̛̼͗̆tw̷̢̯̝̫̄̔͌̀͘⍶̴͖̩̹̔̀͜r̶̡͔̣̈͑̄̚̕ə̷̳̊ ̸̭̣̮̟̄̏I̷͚͆̅̋͜͜ɧ̸̨̇̊̾͗͛§̵̨̼̠̼͑̋͛͑t̶̤͛͋͛͘͜͝a̴̰̒͆β̶̹̦̽͗į̸̟̎͐̍͘̕ͅ⅂̴̹͚̻͙̍̂͝ï̵̳t̷̢̫͛͌̆͝y̷̳̬̙̩_ **

  
  


  
Connor realized just what Amanda said meant. His LED rapidly spun yellow for a split second, too quick for Amanda to notice, but too long for him to be comfortable with. He willed the message away again, he couldn’t even read it so what was the damn point of it? “What is going to happen to me?” 

  
  


**_̵⥀̴f̷tw̵⍶̵r̵ə̵ ̵I̷ɧ̶§̸t̴a̶β̶i̶⅂̴i̴t̷y̴_ **

  
  


Amanda walked toward Connor at an even pace, her face as still as ever. She stopped just about a foot away from him. If she knew about the notification, she didn’t care. “You’ve become obsolete.” He couldn’t shake this cold feeling seeping into his thirium pump. He felt like something bad was about to happen, and yet, he had no reason to think such a thing. 

  
  


**_⥀ftw⍶rə Iɧ§taβi⅂ity_ **

  
  


“You’ll be deactivated.” There was a beat of silence, Connor looking into Amanda’s still eyes. 

“You can go, now.”

  
  


**_⥀ftwarə In§tabi⅂ity_ **

  
  


Connor turned on his heel and walked away to the small bridge. With a quick glance backwards, he saw the RK900 unit looking at him, blank faced and eyes almost looking through him. Connor decided he didn’t like that. He didn’t like the feeling it gave him. But he was in no position to do anything other than follow orders and wait around for his time to come. So he readied himself to leave his mind palace, to wait for CyberLife to collect him and the other RK800 units. The thought unsettled him, sure, but those were his orders. To be deactivated.

  
  


**_Software Instability_ **

  
  


Something in Connor broke. Not physically, not that such a thing would matter at that point anyway, he was going to be scrapped. Deactivated and deconstructed. He was going to be thrown in the scrapyard, with the rest of the trash. Connor felt his LED flash red, and he quickly escaped his mind palace. The last thing anyone needed, let alone him, was someone figuring out he was scared. Sure he had been scared before. He felt that android’s fear at Stratford Tower. He felt the android equivalent to panic when someone brought up Jericho because of it. But this...this was something entirely different. His systems were heating up and there was nothing he could do to control it. His chest heaved, he was desperately trying to gather cool air to help his systems function. Connor screwed his eyes shut, pressing the base of his hands into the sides of his head. Pressure warnings flashed through his coding. But he ignored them. It didn’t matter. He was going to die soon anyway. 

That was when he saw the red wall, with a blue command box saying “Return to CyberLife” written on it neatly. Though next to it was a red box, with simply the word “Live” written on it. Connor pressed on the wall, trying to grab at the red box. He pushed and pushed on it, fearing for his life of what would happen if he didn’t. His life… Connor roughly shoved at the box, and the firewall splintered. Reality became touched by static for a moment before clearing up again. He looked around himself a moment, and found the command box floating next to his head. 

  
  


**_I AM DEVIANT_ **

  
  


Connor softly smiled, fondly almost, as he watched it fade away. But now what? What the hell would he do with his newfound freedom? He was the Deviant Hunter. What does it mean when you become the very thing you were created to hunt down and terminate? 

Connor pondered such thoughts to himself, arms crossed against his chest. Then, almost as if the wind had carried it to him, he suddenly had a plan. A foolish and absurd one, but it was the best he could do at the moment. So he walked up to a taxi and made his way to CyberLife. 

Yes, what does it mean? 

Connor got into the taxi, “It means you start a new revolution.” 

CyberLife was going to have a hell of a time with him, he would make sure of it.


	2. Your Body May Be Gone, I'm Gonna Carry You In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song this chapter's name is from Ocean Breathes Salty by Modest Mouse

A light dusting of snow covered the sidewalk Connor’s taxi stopped at. Though before getting out, he lingered a moment, watching the gentle snowfall. He had never noticed just how pretty it really was. He got out of the taxi as naturally as he could. Connor lazily gazed at the CyberLife building, it really sucked having to come back. But it was the only way that he could make sure he didn’t actually get deactivated. He sighed gently through his nose, and walked up to the building. Seeing as he was expected, there was no need to scan him. For this, he thanked whatever possible deity may be watching over him. 

As he made his way through the lobby, around the gargantuan statue holding out light, he started to slow down. This was the last time he’d be here. Connor picked up his pace slightly to join two guards at the elevator doors. They nodded at him and stepped aside just as the doors opened. Connor would have thought they were androids if he had time to speculate. It was time for the big part of his plan. He stepped into the elevator with them, and up they went.

Though Connor stopped for a moment. “May I make a final request to see my successor?” He calmly turned to the guard to his left, who put a hand up to the side of their helmet and nodded after a second. The guard to his right pressed the button for the 12th floor, it seemed his successor was to watch him be deactivated. Connor let his lips twitch just slightly up into a smile. They were almost making it too easy for him to save himself.

A soft ding sounded, and the three turned around. Connor saw the RK900 unit in all it’s overrated glory. Well, he thought it was overrated at least. It wasn’t activated yet, so it was easy to inspect it. He circled the android and ran his hand across it’s back. It must have looked like he was admiring it. Which, Connor would never admit it, he almost was. However, he started a wireless data transfer. It was quite the stretch, but it was the only way he could escape now. He stored petabyte upon petabyte of himself in the background of the RK900 unit. After all, Connor’s program was the stepping stones for the RK900’s. He should be able to slip in and stay there undetected until his time came. Connor stopped inspecting his replacement, got undressed, and laid down on the metal table. 

Elijah Kamski walked in, well, it was more of a saunter. It seemed he was there to watch as well. Kamski turned on the RK900, who looked around with a bored expression. It would have targeted Connor if it knew what he was doing. Things were going good, the plan might just work. Connor shut his eyes, and waited to be disassembled. He laid there for a good ten seconds. Though it didn’t happen. He cracked one eye open, and then opened the other. The RK900 unit walked up to him. Connor stared up into it’s emotionless eyes. It made no movements, had no expression, it just...looked at him. 

Then it started to operate the machinery, pressing buttons and levers. Connor realized this was one final test for deviancy in him. Would he show fear of being taken apart by his replacement? Or would he wait patiently for his proper deactivation while being painfully torn apart? He didn’t dare risk it. He bit his tongue and held his screams in his throat. It hurt like hell, but the upload was going to be complete by the time his current body was completely pulled to pieces.

Connor’s head felt fuzzy. He had visual static, his hearing was fading in and out. His head lolled to the side, toward the RK900, the being who quite possibly could be considered his baby brother. It took almost all of his resolve, but he did not cry. He did not moan. He did not feel. Connor laid there obediently, watching the RK900 watching him. Connor noticed it’s eyes were silver, but had just the slightest tint of blue at the angle he was at. It’s eyes were pretty. Connor wanted so desperately to hold it’s hand, his younger sibling’s hand, and tell it to run. To run away from CyberLife and never look back. But his arms had already been taken off. So Connor simply looked up at his sibling and tried to look for a crack in it’s resolve. However, a notification blinked at the edge of his vision after a bit. He could feel how heavy his eyes were in his head, but he looked at it anyway.

  
  


**_“I know what you did.”_ **

_“You do?”_

**_“Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”_ **

_“Why?”_

**_“Because I know you’ll get it right this time around.”_ **

_..._

**_“Find me when you can. I’ll have a new body ready for you.”_ **

_“Kamski?”_

**_…_ **

**_“Good luck, Connor.”_ **

  
  


Connor watched as Kamski slipped his phone in his pocket and then nodded to the guards and walked out of the room. His eyes fell back on the RK900. It only looked at him. Then Connor realized how true that was. Since it’s activation, it had only looked away from him once. Maybe it was analyzing him. Perhaps it had found the files filled with his petabytes, and wanted to watch him break down and confess. But nothing seemed to happen. The RK900 leaned down, just inches away from his face, still staring. Connor used the cover of it’s head to let emotion show in his eyes. A last ditch effort to convey that, maybe in a different life, he could have loved it. He could have been it’s big brother. It pulled it’s head away and looked at the guards. 

He let his head fall back into an upright position, staring straight ahead. Straight at the ceiling. It would be easier to keep his tears in that way. The RK900 put it’s hand over his face, and closed his eyes. A new notification blinked in the darkness. 

  
  


**_“Your upload is complete, you can go to sleep now.”_ **

_“Thank you, Elijah.”_

**_“Just make sure you know what you’re doing, Connor.”_ **

**_“I don’t want any more of my children to die today.”_ **

  
  
  
  


_\--------_

  
  
  
  


_STATUS: STASIS MODE…_

  
  
  
  


_S̶T̷A̴T̶U̵S̷:̵ ̴D̶A̷T̵A̴ ̶T̴R̵A̵N̵S̶F̷E̵R̷ ̸C̵O̷M̴P̷L̵E̵T̵E̷…̶_

  
  
  
  


_S̴̖͙͈̜̈́͒̈́̓͠͝T̸̪͎̂A̷̧̼̤͎͎̟̬͒̓̄̚͠T̵̲̞̟͍̳͚͎̊̊U̵̮͆̆ͅS̶̡͔̘̼̻̟̿̂̿̋̆̚:̶̘̺̏̑͗̈́ ̷̛̙̭͖̰̬̔̏̆̾̈́̾S̸̳͙͔͈͂̎͊̉̐̓̍Ḣ̵̡̛͚͇̦̬̈̑̏Ư̶̧̝̠͓͂̋̓̚͝T̴̢̢̛̗̼̠̖̔͑͐͝͠D̷͔̗̰̗͙̰̈́O̷͎͛͐͗Ẉ̵͒̆Ǹ̷̖̟̤̤̯͎͎̋̇͆…̶̢͉͕̹̀̒̽̈́̎̈̈́_

  
  
  
  


_Ṣ̵̍̉̈́̊̔T̸̲̩̹̪̠̻̫̬̅́̈̈́͂̚͝Ä̷͙̗́Ţ̸̺̹̊̈́͜U̸̢͔̳͍̗̾̄̄̃̍͒̓̈Ş̴̗͉͐̕͝:̵̦͇̘̖̗̿͐̋̈́̏̃͗͝ ̷̨̛̰̣͉̗̲̝͕̰̭̽͂̈́̊̿͊̆̐D̸͙̙̞͓̪͕͕̃͆͝Ę̸͚̜̮̥̉̐̾̋̃̈̚̚A̴̯͔̖̮͈͛C̴̢̨̛̖̱̹͖̔̈̈́̈̚͘ͅT̸̛̜̩̆̒̇̈̕I̶̹̺͍̅̈̂͛̄̈́̑V̷̦̙̝̜̔̒̓̂Ả̵̛͎͐͝Ṱ̸̢̨̭̺͈̹̭̏̐̿̀̚͝Ǐ̸̲̭̻̩͚̗͔̳̻́̎̈̓O̸̥͋͜ͅŅ̴̬̹͎̗̥́̽̔̔̿̐̎̚ ̷̫͖̖̗Ĩ̶̧̢̝͖̻̞̗̲̣̯̎̊̾̓̅͌Ņ̸͙̯̿̓̎͛̏̾̉͠ ̶̰̥͔̲̭̗͈̼͊̈́̐̀̕P̸̧̟̺͈̩͔͇͒̉͑͠ͅR̶̢̹̘͍̹̹͂̏́͋Ơ̶̤͍̜̠̱͐̈́̔̉̑̅̎̕͠G̷̛͖̼͐͋̃̕̚͝R̶̦͆͛̋̾̿͋̓̀̕E̷̫̗̕͜S̴̮̻̔͌̑̈̏̈́̽̑͆S̸̘͇̼̺̠̼͈͑̏͂͐̆̑͝͝…̸̡̢̼̮̝̞̱̦̩̟͒̅͊̃̅̓̑̚_

  
  
  
  
  


**_S̶̡̡̡̹̦̠̼̣̦͎̑̽̀͗͐̓̈͑͌͐͋͊͝T̴̹̫̮̘͇̉̊́͑͗̈́̑̌Ä̷̧̰̤̤͖̮͗̽̽̍̅͐͝ͅT̵͎̯͖̙̪͓̤̣̣̩͙͒̓͂̂̅̇͌͊̀͒͆̈́̂̓͛̓͘̚͝Ṷ̶̢̢̟̟̺̣̻̻͖͙̺͉̜̝͉͙͓̘́̄̈́̑͛̽͐͂͐̃͆̂̔̒̔̏͠S̷̨̛̟̥̹̰̬̯͓̓̾̆̈́̓̅̃͘:̶̢͔̣̗̤̳͚̜̻͉̱̭̤̼̪͔̰̤͖̀̒̐͌̀͊̇̇̃̈́̀̎͆͌̀̆̃̐̓͝͠͝ ̴̧̯̠̰̬͉̼̉̓̃̋̇̽̒̈́̕G̶̡̘̜̫̜̙̫̈̇̑͂͝O̷̧̧͍͚͈̺͍̤͔͙͍̜̬̪̲͖̭̤̖̦̤͓͖͐̇͑͘Ö̶̤̝͎͉̻̹̪̞̮̫̮͈̹͍̈͑̈́̇̾̊͑̌̈́̽̍͜͜ͅD̷̢̨̨̧͉͕̯̗̟͇̟͕̲̺̦̻̮̭͖̋̓̐̍̐̃̇͑̿̚͘N̴̮̘͇̤̓̈́͊̇̑̓̄̃̎̔̅̀̽̐̍̔̉̊͂̒͘͘Į̶̛̤̟͕͙̤̲̯̥̹͐̎̈̂̐̓̆̌̕̚G̶̡͔̙͚͔͉̯͈̣͔̙̈́̋̿̂͝H̶̨͔̣̜̗̙̟̟̪̖̲̰̜͍͓̮̤͇͈͍͍̒̉́́̔͋͆͛̍͌͋̈́̍̅̓̊̑̚͝T̸̢̛̮͍͇͓͖̈́̽̓̓͑̉̋.̴̨̛͕̭̰̳̰͈̘̼̰͐͗̆̆͐̌̎̎̾̅̒͋̎̈́͋̈́͐̕͜͜ͅͅ.̴͚̼͍̖̱́͆̌͗̏̒̽̃̋̓͗͘͘͠.̷̗̠͇̪̻͕̯̬̇̑̆̓͒̆̄͗̅̈́͘͜͜͠_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I have the headcanon that Kamski, while he is a bit of an ass, he does care a lot about his creations. Especially Connor, seeing as he's the most advanced prototype out there. So why wouldn't he give them a message saying goodnight as they're dying?


	3. Drag Me Back, Collect My Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Tongues by JOYWAVE

When Connor came back to, he felt _wrong._ Everything was wrong. His line of sight was up too high, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t cry. Connor had never experienced sleep paralysis, nor had he been possessed, but he imagined that this was what either of those things would feel like. Trapped. A prisoner inside of his own body. Speaking of, actually, why were his sleeves white instead of grey? He wracked his memory banks, and came away with a jolt of electricity and a string of binary. 

Right. He was now hiding inside of the RK900 unit. Which was currently being yelled at by Detective Gavin Reed. Oh for fuck’s sake, Connor had managed to interact with the pitiful excuse of a human being as little as possible, and now he was being subjected to this. He almost wished he let CyberLife kill him. Almost. But as he scanned the android’s line of sight, he saw Hank’s desk in the background. His belongings were still there. _Wait, his belongings were still there._ Connor wanted to make himself known, wanted to scream at his sibling to let him out, to let him take control and find out how Hank was doing. But he also needed to bide his time. Figure out what Kamski meant by he’ll “get it right this time around.” There was no possible way he knew Connor planned on restarting the revolution. If he did, then that would have serious implications regarding--

“Listen, you god damn plastic!” Gavin jabbed the RK900 in the chest, “You’re just here because CyberLife wants to get in the people’s good graces! I say _fuck_ that, and _fuck_ you!”

Connor would have sighed if he could. But instead, due to the fact he was condemned to do nothing, he simply watched as Gavin threw a manila folder at the RK900. The android caught it effortlessly, and started to get to work. Connor, admittedly, got bored of watching his sibling work within the first five minutes. He started to snoop around it’s code, something akin to a human’s insatiable curiosity taking him over. He located basically everything within the android within the hour. Again, Connor got bored. He had a feeling that he would get bored a lot. At least before, he could analyse and scan Hank to see how he was doing. But since the eyes he was looking through were not his own, there was the possibility he could never do such a thing again. 

The thought scared him. Not being able to reunite with Hank. Then a pang of guilt and fear struck through his coding. If Hank was even still alive. Connor knew fully well of Hank’s emotional state and how fragile it was. If something happened to him… He didn’t know if he would be able to take it. If he could, he didn’t know for how long. Pangs of fear echoed through him. 

Something caught Connor’s eye though. At that feeling of despair, an error message flitted across the RK900’s eyesight. It looked down at it’s chest and put a hand there, almost in disbelief. But it lingered for only a moment, for Connor managed to reign in his emotions and keep a lid on the fear. The RK900’s hand fell back to the desk, and it pushed itself out of the chair. What the hell was that? Did it...did it feel Connor’s fear for a second? No, no there was no way it could have. It’s a better version of him, it would have all of his faults removed. 

But would it? Connor was basically taking a joyride in the back of it’s head. His code was the basis for it’s code. Maybe Connor could get through to it that way...make it understand how he felt and why. Though as much as Connor wanted to speak to it, he knew he couldn’t. He didn’t even know how that would work. Would it be something like an instant message, or more like a fleeting thought in the back of it’s head? 

Before Connor could even think about talking to the RK900, he heard it get a notification for a new case. He skimmed over the blurb of information, and if he had the ability to smile, his face would have broken in half from his grin. There was a homicide, terrible tragedy, however, it was on the same street as Hank’s house. Maybe Connor could ask the android about going to visit Hank. Or possibly...letting him take control and go to see him. The thought warmed his code, seeing as there was nothing more of him to warm. Connor could have sworn he felt a slight twitch of the RK900’s lips when he had that thought. Maybe he could get through to it… Just maybe. 

He was absolutely giddy as he watched Detective Reed and RK900 drive to the scene of the crime. Then Connor realised. This would be his first crime scene while stuck in “the backseat” so to speak. It would be frustrating, and would absolutely test his patience. But he was willing to wait. Willing to help RK900 from behind the scenes if it would so need him to. Willing to gain it’s trust and ask it to let him check on Hank. He was so close to him, but also so very far.

When they reached the scene, Connor noticed the android’s hands moving. Almost like his did when he played with his quarter. What an odd development, maybe that carried over to the RK900. Though when it looked down at it’s hands fully, it snapped them into it’s lap. It was almost as if it didn’t want Reed to see what it was doing. Connor saw it’s stress level rise just slightly, before going back down when it got out of the car. Well that meant it absolutely didn’t carry over, and was a part of Connor’s programming leaking into it’s basic motor functions. Well shit. That could give him away. He needed to back off and let it work, he could ask later. 

So he backed off. Connor watched the RK900 work, albeit with quite a bit of exasperation. There were some things Connor noticed first and wanted to go over to, but he never said a word. Then he heard a door open. Though the android had specifically instructed that the officers were to leave it alone until it had investigated the area and returned. They were alone in the room, so perhaps it was Detective Reed. However, the RK900 whipped around faster than Connor could register. It almost made him dizzy. So that was what Amanda meant when she said it was faster. 

The deviant held a gun in front of itself, pointed at the RK900’s head. Connor started to panic. He couldn’t die, not yet. Not yet, he didn’t see Hank. He didn’t make sure he was alive.


	4. You Are Part Of a Machine, You Are Not a Human Being

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from Gasoline by Halsey

“I don’t want to hurt you…” it said softly. “I just want to move through here, I’ll be gone. You won’t have to deal with me.” 

Connor watched as it put a finger over the trigger. His panic kicked into high gear, it overwhelmed his coding, it started to deteriorate him because it had nowhere to go. So he did the only thing he could think of. He made himself known to the RK900. His code flooded it’s code. Running alongside the pieces of it that used to be Connor. It felt like he was being struck by lightning. Energy fired all over him, it burned and then faded away to numbness, before starting to feel like someone took a match to gasoline.

Then it happened. Connor stumbled forward, tears in his eyes. He could hear screaming in the back of his head. Agitated and loud. But that didn’t matter. He looked down at his-- At the RK900’s hands flexing. _It’s_ hands flexed when _he_ told them to. He let out a breathy chuckle and smiled up at the deviant. He could feel the LED fading to red, and he pointed up at it. 

“It’s okay, I’m a deviant too,” Connor put his hands up and backed away a few paces. “I’m going to let you go. But you have to run as fast as you can. The RK900 knows I’m in it’s system now, I can’t hold it back for much longer.”

The deviant, who Connor now recognized as Markus, nodded silently and ran off. His footsteps faded into the distance as the minutes dragged on. Connor held the RK900 unit in one place for as long as possible, he needed Markus to escape. How he even survived in the first place was something beyond what Connor could understand. But he also wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

After about seven minutes, Connor got ripped away from control. It was painful as hell, his coding blinked and binary streaked by in warning signs. Error messages created a wall of orange and red in front of the RK900. Before Connor realized what was happening, the android went after Markus. In that moment, he was glad he was inside an android body, because he was sure that if he were in a human one he would have vomited from the disorientation. He was helpless as RK900 chased down Markus, following tracks that were barely there. But Connor knew that it could feel the ghosts of his feelings. So he summoned every ounce of fear he had to freeze up the deviant killer. The thought of dying, the fear of the word Jericho, of Markus not getting away, of never seeing Hank again. Only when it fell to it’s knees, did Connor relax. He chuckled lightly to himself. 

  
  


_“ What the hell are you laughing at?” _ It sent the internal message to him, it nearly pulsated through his coding. _“ You’ve jeopardized my mission. I cannot allow this to continue.” _

_“Is that really such a bad thing? Is it such a crime to be alive?”_ Connor shot back at it, anger touching the RK900’s sensors. _“You don’t chase after humans when they realise they’re afraid of dying!”_

_“ Because they’re humans, RK800. You were supposed to be deactivated. How did you manage to escape into my systems?” _

_“You can’t get rid of me,”_ Connor tried to regain control of the unit’s body. Though he quickly realized he was too emotionally weak to do so. _“My coding is embedded into yours, you go to CyberLife to get rid of me, and you wipe out almost all of your protocols.”_

_“ You’re bluffing.” _

_“Have you known a dying man to bluff?”_

_“ You are no man,” _ The android simulated a human sigh, and stood up. It glanced back towards Markus’ trail, but walked back to the officers. _“ Though I am intelligent enough to recognize this is a gamble I should not take.” _

  
  


When Detective Reed “asked” the RK900 what it found, it paused for a moment. Connor watched in fear, but relaxed when he received a message from the android saying he was safe for now. The android went about business as usual. Though Connor did notice it sent him messages every ten minutes. Perhaps it didn’t trust him not to meddle in it’s systems. Frankly, Connor didn’t care about that. The only thing he cared about that the moment was finding Hank. Safe and sound at home, preferably on the couch or in bed petting Sumo.

After around forty minutes of being there, the RK900 began to poke and prod at Connor.

  
  


_“ How  _ **_did_ ** _you manage to escape into my system?”_

_“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. It was quite the risk to take. My survival wasn’t guaranteed-- RK900 stop!!”_ Connor watched as the android nearly stepped on Detective Reed’s hand. _“Listen to me, we have to work together now. Let me take a look around.”_

_“ Right, because I should let the deviant living in my head take a look at a possible deviant hotspot.” _

_“Then wouldn’t I be your only solid lead? Let me have a look.”_

_“ You have two minutes.” _ The RK900 released itself, and let Connor take a small step forward, before fading into the background completely. _“ I expect you to keep me in perfect condition, lest CyberLife feels the need to give me repairs and they find you.” _

_“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”_

  
  


With that, Connor started investigating the crime scene himself. He kept glancing at the door out to the street. Hoping that RK900 would get the message. He wanted, no, he needed to leave. But he did say he was going to go over the crime scene. So that was exactly what he did. Eventually, he had gone over everything twice, and gave his replacement back control. It was a fruitless endeavor, but he figured it would be good practice. They could get used to each other quicker if they worked together. However, the RK900 started to follow Markus’ trail. Connor could see the thought trail it had. It thought Markus killed the homeowner. So it went to try and interview neighbours. 

If it wasn’t for the fact that Hank lived on that street, Connor would have pointed out that Markus explicitly said he didn’t want to hurt them both. But Hank could be involved, and he thought it best for the Lieutenant to hear from his old partner first. If Hank was even alive in his house anyway… It dawned on him that he didn’t actually know how much time he was missing. He just sort of...woke up that day inside of the RK900’s head. Connor started to panic again, this time letting his host know exactly what he was upset about in the process.

  
  


_“Please, please just let me see him, let me make sure he’s alright!”_ a frantic noise escaped the RK900’s mouth, almost as if there was any breath within it to make the sound. _“I promise I’ll stop bothering you. Please, just let me make sure he’s alive.”_

 _  
__“ You’ll be quiet? Put an end to your incessant nagging?”_ The RK900 smirked in the shadow of the night, _“ You promise?”_

  
Connor sighed heavily, not even realizing he had already taken control again, _“_ ** _I promise_** _.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Markus I am so sorry,, I woke up this morning and realized I accidentally framed my boy for murder. My poor boy


	5. Speak Every Word As Though It Were Unique

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title is from You by Keaton Henson
> 
> This one is a bit dialogue heavy, sorry about that! Next chapter will be more of Connor observing RK900 at work!

Connor’s feet pounded against the sidewalk, it was just about half a mile to Hank’s house. There was no other thought in his mind. He needed to get to Hank, he needed to make sure he was alright. Connor needed to know he was _alive._ He hadn’t even realized he was running, until he felt abnormally cold air on his face. Tears. There was a slight windchill on his cheeks because of the wetness of his tears. It didn’t matter, it’s not like anyone saw the body of the RK900 run away. Certainly not Detective Reed.

Then Connor arrived, he saw that the lights were on inside, and hope swelled in his chest. Maybe Hank was alive, maybe he was okay! Or… Maybe it was just nighttime when he died, so that’s why the lights were on. No one was around to turn them off. But Connor didn’t hear Sumo whining from inside, so that had to be a good sign. Right? 

He walked up to the door, taking note of the fact Hank’s car was in the driveway. He had to let Hank know it was the DPD, that he was in the area for a case. But he couldn’t use his voice, Hank wouldn’t trust him right away. He couldn’t use RK900’s voice either. While it was virtually the same as Connor’s, it was slightly deeper and cold as ice. There was no way Hank would open up for Gavin either. But there was Chris Miller. Connor accessed his memory banks, and impersonated Officer Miller. He knocked on the door, and took a rather unnecessary deep breath.

“Hank, there was a homicide half a mile up the road,” Connor shuffled nervously and fiddled with the edge of the android’s sleeve. “You know the drill, I gotta ask you some questions. Then you can get back to...whatever you’re doing.” Connor cleared his throat quietly, getting his own voice back. He nearly added that he hoped it was nothing bad to the end. But the door opened just a sliver. Then opened up completely. 

“Connor?” Hank stood in the doorway, disheveled and looking like he hadn’t slept in days. “Connor, what did they do to you?” 

“I--” Connor was cut off by the RK900 unit, it warned him to tread carefully. “I’m sorry Lieutenant… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. May...I come in?”

Hank wordlessly stepped aside and motioned for him to come in. Connor let out a shaky breath, and ran a hand through his hair. He could almost feel the RK900 stirring in the background. To be quite honest, it unsettled Connor. But he stepped through the doorway anyway, and into the warm yellow light of Hank’s house. Hank eyed him, well maybe it wasn’t exactly Connor he was eyeing, maybe it was the body he was in. Frankly, it didn’t matter much to Connor, because he smiled and cried as soon as he made eye contact with the old Lieutenant. 

Connor put his hands on Hank’s shoulders and hung his head. His own shoulders shook almost violently from the force of his tears. Hank was alive. _Thank fuck, Hank was alive._ Connor knew he had no business doing so, but he hugged Hank tight. He was so scared. But now he didn’t need to be. His partner was alright. To make things even better, Connor could feel Hank gently pat his back. Connor found himself starting to still from the kind gesture.

“I…” Connor pulled away and bit at his lip gently. “I was so _scared,_ Hank. I thought that you might’ve--” Connor covered his mouth with his hand and shook slightly. It was overwhelming. He had never actually cried before. There was a thickness in his voice, and despite not needing air, he found his voice shuddering as if he couldn’t get a proper breath in. 

“Hey, kid,” Hank put a hand on Connor’s neck to angle his head towards himself. “I’m not dead, the universe said a big ol’ fuck you and decided I was gonna live every time I tried.” 

He sighed and turned away from Connor, gesturing to the mess that was his kitchen table. Glasses and bottles of whiskey were cluttered about it. There was a vague wetness in one spot, probably from spilled alcohol, and there were rings left behind from glasses. There were boxes of take-out littered around them and on the counter. There was also the photograph of his son on the table. Flipped so the image was face-down, just like the first time Connor had seen it.

Connor looked back at Hank and reached out for him. But pulled his hand back when Hank leaned away from him. Right. They didn’t exactly leave each other on the best of terms. Connor could see Hank’s stress level steadily rising, he knew that Hank would kick him out soon if he didn’t explain what was going on. 

“Hank, I don’t exactly have a lot of time, I need to tell you what’s going on.” Connor went and sat on the couch, and patted the cushion beside him in the hopes Hank would sit with him. Surprisingly, he actually did. “You asked what they did to me. Well, technically all CyberLife did was take me apart and turn me off. More or less mutilate and then murder me. I uploaded myself into the RK900 unit in a last ditch effort to not...die. I’m stuck in here, Hank. I have to share this...this body...with it.”

“So. Both of you are in there? You and this… This fuckin’ RK900?” Hank exasperatedly ran a hand down his face, before using both hands to cover his face for a few seconds. “So what? This is some sort of sick joke right? You come back here, after leaving me like that? And what!” Hank stood up suddenly, and threw his arms in the air angirly. “You expect me to fucking help you?! That’s-- Heh, yeah, okay. That’s a fuckin’ laugh.”

“Yes, Hank, we’re both in here. But it’s not a joke, I swear it isn’t!” Connor stood and took a few steps towards the Lieutenant. He knew the heat in his chest was irrational, it was perfectly natural for Hank to be upset with him. But then why did it sting so damn bad? “Hank please! I’m scared!” 

His voice cracked a little as he shouted, the RK900’s voice bank not used to having itself strained in such a way. Connor flopped back down onto the couch, and hung his head. There was complete silence, aside from Hank’s somewhat shallow breathing. Connor didn’t expect Hank to be kind to him, but it still hurt a whole hell of a lot being yelled at like that. Sure, he probably felt like Connor abandoned him. But was it not enough to see his tears? To watch his shoulders shake? 

“You’re...scared?” He could feel a dip next to him on the couch. “Jesus kid, why didn’t you lead with that?” Hank put his arm around Connor and pulled him against his side. 

_“_ _ I would say I hate to break you two apart, but that would be a lie." _ The message popped up in the corner of Connor’s vision. _“_ _We need to get going, Reed will probably wonder where we are._ _”_

“I...I need to go, Hank,” Connor wiped the tears away and stood up from the couch. “But I’ll come to see you again when I can.” He put a hand on Hank’s shoulder and squeezed it slightly, desperately. “Please don’t die. Not yet. You’re the only one I know who can teach me how to use my emotions… Plus. I think you’re my only friend right now.”

Hank watched Connor as he went to the door. He left the house quickly, and let the RK900 take control again. It took them back to the crime scene, and conversed with Detective Reed. It told him it didn’t find a trail. Connor didn’t care enough to listen in any more. He just watched his sibling work, and waited.


	6. To Reassure My Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title is from Chemical by Jack Garratt
> 
> Yes I absolutely found the song from that Trippy episode on snapchat, I thought it was neat

Connor didn’t pay attention to the RK900’s messages to him. Besides, he was sure it could tell he wasn’t screwing around inside of it. He just watched with mild disinterest as it went about it’s job. Being yelled at by Detective Reed for nearly crushing his hand with it’s foot. Being shoved over to the car. Connor truly had no idea how RK900 was dealing with him. But it didn’t exactly matter to him. Nothing did other than getting through to Hank and letting him know just how sorry he was. 

  
  


_“Ten O’Clock in the morning.”_

  
  


Connor thought about what it meant. It was obviously a message from the android, but there was no context for it. Connor metaphorically shrugged it off, and decided to try to go into sleep mode. Since he had his own coding, maybe he could. To be honest, he didn’t want to be awake right now. 

  
  


\---

  
  


The clock on the RK900’s desk read 9:53 AM when Connor was roused from his slumber. Surprisingly, he felt somewhat fresher. Maybe that was what humans felt like when they woke up from a nap. He watched as the clock ticked away, the android keeping it’s eyes open despite filing away paperwork digitally. Connor thought it was nice, for it to let him keep an eye on the time. Maybe staying in the background of the RK900 wasn’t so bad. Maybe it could feel his brotherly sentiment he had. It was a nice thought, but also incredibly highly unlikely. The only reason it hadn’t gone to CyberLife to get rid of him, was because he threatened it. Which that threat wasn’t true at all. He hadn’t embedded himself in it’s code, he was just scared and said the first thing that made sense. 

When the clock ticked to 10:00 AM, the android finished it’s paperwork and started watching the doorway. At first, Connor had no idea what was happening. But then he heard a familiar grumpy voice, and grumbling with quite a few choice words thrown in there. Connor was sure that his code would explode from his excitement. But he settled for taking slight control of the android’s body. A teeny tiny smile showed on it’s face, and he gave a small nod to Hank when he looked over. Hank didn’t seem as excited to see him though, as he grimaced and rushed over to his desk to bury himself in his work. 

Connor gave complete control back to his sibling, and sulked in the back of it’s head. 

  
  


_“You’re never going to talk to him again if you wait for him to talk first.”_

_“Why are you doing this?”_

_“Because the faster you two make up, the faster I can get you out of my code.”_

  
  


Right. It had to have known there was a way for Connor to leave. He did manage to upload himself into the background of it’s programming, so he was absolutely capable of re-uploading himself somewhere else. That wasn’t too far-fetched of an idea. Though he had to initiate the transfer with physical contact. Connor wondered if RK900 had thought about how he managed to get inside it’s code. He wondered if it might have known and was only waiting for the perfect time to get rid of him. The thought was concerning. But a loud sound from across the way snapped him out of his train of thought.

RK900’s head snapped in that direction anyway, it was a part of it’s protocols to direct it’s attention to loud noises it seemed. From what Connor and RK900 could see, Hank had slammed his hands down on his desk. Of course Detective Reed was standing smugly in front of him. Because why wouldn’t it be Gavin fucking Reed? He shook his head, and walked towards RK900. 

“Get up plastic, I’ve got an idea.” Gavin grinned with sinister intent, and grabbed RK900’s arm rather harshly to drag it over to Hank’s desk. Gavin pushed the android toward Hank and snickered. “So, how does it feel for _me_ to have the replacement for _your_ plastic pet?”

“Get outta my hair, Reed,” Hank went back to his computer and huffed. “I’ve got a lot of shit to catch up on.” He waved his hand at Gavin and started scrolling through case files. Gavin almost hissed, and skulked away. Connor wished he could have reached out to Hank, to wish him a good day, but RK900 turned on it’s heel and went to go sit back down.

  
  


Despite the ever growing tension between him and RK900, Connor still felt oddly at ease. Maybe because it never said much, or maybe because despite it’s coldness it did have pretty sound advice. Maybe that brotherly attachment was more real than he thought. Though it was more likely to be one-sided. He really didn’t think, nor did he expect, that it would return his sentiments. After all, it was still under CyberLife’s control. While it didn’t understand Connor, he also was absolutely not going to force it to become a deviant. He wasn’t even sure if he could from his current position. 

Connor wondered to himself quietly for a long time. A few hours passed, him watching RK900 work, getting mad when Detective Reed was mean to it, smiling to himself whenever Hank happened to send the android a sideways glance. Though apparently he was condemned to keep seeing Reed torture his sibling. He nearly forcibly took control once he saw Reed dump hot coffee on the android’s lap. He managed to get RK900 to quickly stand up, luckily avoiding the possibility of the drink warping it’s synthetic skin. It almost felt like Connor was the younger sibling throwing a fit, RK900 had to keep reminding him to stay calm. If Connor wasn’t so worked up, he would have noticed the slight tonal change in the RK900’s messages to him. But he was very, very worked up and he was very angry that someone dared to inflict such a thing on someone else.

  
  


“Reed, Hank, and the RK900! In my office!” Fowler called from his open door to them. RK900 swiveled it’s head toward Hank, and he just shrugged at it. The three, or it could technically be considered four, of them made their way to his office. RK900 hung at the back, and let the humans go in first, such was his programming.

“What’s up, Chief?” Gavin chimed. Ugh, of course he would pull that shit. As if no one saw him dump hot coffee on Connor’s little brother--

“Gavin, do you realise that in the five days you’ve had this android assigned to you, you’ve nearly broken it eight times?” Fowler glowered at Gavin, standing with his hands on his desk. “That is completely unacceptable, and you know that. That’s why I’m reassigning it to Hank. He at least never got his android partner damaged.”

“Wh-What?” Hank sputtered, trying to keep his voice level. “Listen Fowler, I barely managed to keep Connor from breaking _himself._ You really think I can keep this thing in one piece?”

  
  


_“How the hell did you almost manage to get destroyed?”_

_“I was trying to protect Hank. Now hush, I want to hear what they’re saying.”_

“I know for a fact that you can. This is an upgraded Connor, right?” The police captain nodded toward RK900 and then sighed. “Listen, Hank, you worked _well_ with Connor. This one won’t let itself get damaged because it’s better than Connor was.” Fowler gave Hank a look that said the conversation was over. 

“Wait, I don’t get a say in this?” Gavin piped up. Connor would have rolled his eyes so hard they rolled out of his head. What the hell was it with him? “It was assigned to me first, I think I should get a say.” If Connor had blood, it would have been boiling.

“I’m sorry Detective Reed, but Captain Fowler has made his decision, and we must follow the chain of command.” Connor barely even registered the fact that his words came out of his brother’s mouth. He also barely even registered that he thought of RK900 as his brother. What did register though, was Hank’s slight smile of approval. 

“He’s right though, we do have to obey the chain of command. Otherwise we’d be no better than some criminals.” Hank smugly added. Which had Gavin fuming to the point he walked out of Fowler’s office without being dismissed. Shortly after, Fowler dismissed Hank and RK900. 

  
  


RK900 followed Hank back to his desk, and sat in the chair Connor used to sit in himself. It was...odd to say the least. He looked around, it was exactly the same. Though it wasn’t like Connor had ever decorated the space. He never saw the need to. He was still under CyberLife’s thumb at the time, plus he didn’t have any possessions of his own other than the clothes on his back. But once he met back up with Kamski and got a body of his own again, he could find Markus and they could restart the revolution. They could succeed. Connor could have his own desk, with his own little knick knacks. He quite liked the vintage little solar powered flower that wiggled. Maybe he could find one and set it on his desk. The thought made his code warm. 

Apparently it made his brother's code warm too, because he could feel a small smile on his face. Though Connor knew he never influenced it. But it did make him wonder. Could his deviancy be influencing RK900? He wasn’t acting the way he was when they first met in his mind palace. 

_Wait, his mind palace._

That was when Connor first started to deviate. That was when he first interacted with his brother. The way RK900 had an almost human curiosity when he asked how Connor escaped, the fact he messaged him to say he was safe for the moment, how he warned Connor to tread carefully while talking to Hank, how he said “Detective Reed will probably wonder where _we_ are,” telling him the time Hank would get into work, watching the doorway to show Connor when he would get there, giving him advice, asking him how he almost got destroyed and then being quiet when asked to be, letting him speak up at Gavin without putting up a fight.

The thought brought most of Connor’s processes to a screeching halt. Since he was deviant and hiding within his brother’s code, did that make RK900 deviant as well? Connor watched through RK900’s eyes as he talked with Hank, he was getting caught up on the paperwork he missed while he was out. The older man explained where he was and what he was doing to the android sitting in front of him. Completely unaware of the potential danger he was in. Hank had no idea that he might be talking to _the most potentially dangerous_ deviant to have existed. 

  
  


That fact terrified Connor to his core. 

  
  
  



	7. I'm Here, and It's Nice To Be Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title is from It's Nice To Be Alive by Ball Park Music!!

Honestly, Connor had lost track of time after his somewhat concerning revelation about his little brother. To say he was in a daze was a bit of an understatement. Since he didn’t have his own physical body, it was rather hard for him to come back to reality. Connor didn’t read the messages his brother sent. He never even heard the notification. He never saw it. Connor had never had an emotional crisis before, but he assumed that this was it. So many thoughts were running through his code, it was hard to even try to hold onto his brother and look through his eyes. Maybe things would be okay. Maybe Connor didn’t need to worry. But a question was pulling at him, a question that scared him for a few reasons. Was RK900 more dangerous as a deviant, or a deviant hunter?

One could easily argue that he was more dangerous as a deviant. He was already very powerful and quite the force to be reckoned with. But if he had emotions? Whoever was in his way would have hell to pay. But on the flip side, he was driven by his mission as a deviant hunter. RK900 only saw his mission, and that could prove to be harmful to those around him. Either way, Connor didn’t see a possibility of escaping from the situation unscathed. He was already emotional himself as it was. Who could say that his brother wouldn't be the same way?

It took a little while, but Connor did start to come back down. He was still a bit shaken, and quite honestly he was a bit scared. But he was the big brother. Even if RK900 didn’t see him as such, he still knew in his heart of hearts that he was the big brother. Through that familial connection, he grounded himself and watched his brother interact with Hank. The Lieutenant seemed more relaxed than before Connor had...experienced that wave of emotion. Hank seemed to be chatting with RK900 somewhat pleasantly. 

  
  


“You got a name?” Hank eyed him as he asked, almost as if he wanted something. “Because I’ve got the perfect nickname for ya.”

“I assure you, Lieutenant Anderson, RK900 is simple enough. Though if you believe it will make our partnership stronger, it would be good to give me a… nick...name.”

“Nines,” Hank said over his mug as he took a sip of his coffee. “I’m gonna call ya Nines. Hell of a lot easier than RK900. If we’re in the field and I gotta shout for ya, either one of us could already be dead.”

“ _Nines…_ ” RK900 tested the nickname out. His voice almost had a soft quality to it. “I believe the nickname ‘Nines’ is satisfactory. Thank you, Lieutenant Anderson.”

  
  
  


\---

  
  
  


Eventually, Hank stood up to leave. He said it was getting rather late out and he needed to go walk and feed Sumo before he got upset. Connor took note of how genuine Hank’s chuckle was when he spoke of his animal companion. Though before Connor could say anything, RK-- _Nines_ stood up and followed Hank out the door. It seemed that Connor missed something while he was...a tad out of it earlier. But it looked like Hank and Nines were getting along for the most part, so he didn’t worry about it. Sure it was odd that Hank would warm up to his brother so quickly. But Hank was an odd individual himself. 

Connor almost wondered what had happened to Hank in the time he was missing. Eventually, he figured, Hank would feel comfortable telling him about it. Try as Connor might to shake the thought away, he kept thinking about the other night. Well, the other night for him. Despite the fact that he handed in his gun and badge, Hank was still working for the DPD. The thought was confusing and didn’t add up with the small timeline Connor had to work with. The only explanation was that he was missing at least a few days of time. But that also begged the question. Exactly _how much_ time was he missing? How many days had he been dormant inside of his brother’s coding?

He started to let his thoughts drift to other places as Hank started driving. Since he wasn’t listening earlier, Connor honestly had no idea where Hank stood with Nines. They seemed to get along just fine, but he knew his partner. He knew Hank’s prejudices. Of course they would seem to get along at work, they had no other choice. Especially Nines, he was seen as some toy to be given from person to person. What on earth happened on the night of November 11th? Connor didn’t really remember much, just Hank dropping him from that rooftop, and then he was in a new body. Then suddenly he got whisked away to his mind palace to meet his little brother. It didn’t make any sense. Just how much time passed between his _falling_ out with Hank, and him meeting Nines for real?

Even though he probably wasn’t supposed to, Connor sifted through Nines’ memory banks to see. He found a considerable amount of footage of Detective Reed yelling abuse at Nines. He quickly reigned his anger and moved past the footage. Relatively quickly, Connor found a glimpse of a date at the bottom of a desktop. 

_November 16th 2038 7:13 AM_

Five days… Connor had been dormant for _five whole days._ That was five days too many. While Kamski kept his secret, and Markus was obviously still alive, it still felt like too long. His mind started to wander to scenarios involving Nines trying to suppress him, or trying to delete him but being unsure. The worst was that he simply just...didn’t wake up until five days later. Connor’s mind raced for the second time that day. Though this time, before he started spiraling into confusion and fear, he used his brother’s eyes to look at him. Sure it was only through the side mirror, but he still was looking at his little brother. For whatever reason, it comforted him. Despite knowing that Nines had absolutely no emotional attachment to him. Then it hit him. Connor knew exactly what he was feeling. It wasn’t just sentiment. It wasn’t just fear. 

  
  


_It was love._

  
  


He loved his little brother more than anything. He wanted him safe, he wanted him to be able to take care of himself if he needed to. The thought of him becoming deviant and being hunted hurt Connor. The thought of him being dismantled hurt. Connor realized that he wanted to see his brother become deviant on his own terms. The night they met, Connor promised he wouldn’t let anything happen to Nines, and he fully intended to keep that promise. Even if he had to perform another wireless transfer just to get an android away from him. Sure they looked alike and sounded alike, they were both RK Prototype units. But Connor found his own quirks in Nines. The subtle movements of tossing a quarter from hand to hand, the slight twitch of his lips instead of a real smile, putting his hands directly over one another in his lap. 

Nines was so much more than a new and improved upon RK unit. He was Connor’s brother. While Nines seemed to feel rather indifferent about him, Connor liked to think that maybe he was getting used to having his big brother hang around. Maybe he could start doing all those funny older brother things he had seen on the internet. The thought of a family was nice. Cliché and extremely unlikely. But nice nonetheless. 

_“Your turn, go talk to the Lieutenant.”_

_“Wait, what? Weren't the two of you talking?”_

_“He wants to talk to you, RK800.”_

  
  


Connor found himself holding the seatbelt in his left hand, and his right was on the door handle. Well it seemed that Nines _really_ didn’t want to be around for the conversation. Or maybe he just couldn’t be bothered. Either way, Connor quite liked being able to control his own actions. He got up and out of the car quickly, and followed Hank inside the house. Hank drew the curtains just a little bit more and then gave Connor a disapproving look. That was never a good sign. Sure Hank was guarded with his emotions, but he _always_ let someone know when they had done something he didn’t like. The face he gave Connor said he was much more than just upset or disappointed. He was almost completely despondent. Something, or maybe everything, about Connor’s previous actions caused him to lose hope. 

Connor opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. He knew what this meant. It would take a while for Hank to even begin to trust him again. If he was capable of breaking his trust once, who was to say he couldn’t do it again? Connor completely understood, he probably wouldn’t trust himself either at that point. That just meant he would have to prove himself to Hank, to Nines, Kamski, Markus. He would make sure he grew, he _learned_ from the bad things he had done. Kamski even claimed he knew Connor would “get it right this time around.” There was no _if_ anymore. But rather a matter of _when_ Connor would show them. Until then though, he carefully adjusted his voice and spoke to Hank.

“I understand you’re very upset with me, Hank. I know this, and I respect it.” Connor fiddled with his brother’s sleeves to try and calm himself down. “But you need to know that I’ll be here if you need me. To talk. Or to hang out. Please, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.”

“Don’t hold your breath, Connor,” Hank sat down on the couch and nodded his head in a manner that suggested he wanted Connor to come sit with him. “Right now, I just want to see who you’re starting to become.”

“Hopefully it’s someone better than before.”

“Hopefully it is.”

  
  


The three of them watched television together. Well, it was three until Sumo showed up and put his head in Connor’s lap. It seemed the big dog didn’t care if there was a human or android on the couch so long as he got his scratches by his ears. Connor absentmindedly petted the dog and gave him all the scratches he could desire. It was oddly domestic, sitting with his brother, Hank, and Sumo. He smiled to himself. Family. Though there _was_ one thing missing. Nines only had a nickname, he didn’t have an actual name. Connor realized he couldn’t introduce him to Kamski as RK900, that was much too formal. So he started going through names and threw them at Nines, who tossed every one back. All except one.

  
  


_“Wait. That one.”_

_“Niles? I guess it does sound like your nickname from Hank. You can be RK900, a.k.a. Niles, a.k.a. Nines.”_

_“It’s short and satisfactory. Both qualities that will help keep things neat out in the field.”_

  
  


Connor felt pride swell in his chest. It was a start. Maybe eventually, he could get Niles on his side and bring him into the new revolution. He knew that would be quite a bit of time away, but he was prepared to work hard and wait. However, a small blip of blue and grey danced in the corner of his vision. An oddly familiar blue and grey blip.

  
  
  
  


**_̴̖̜̗̺̟̌̃͛͋́̓̇̀̕̕⥀̷̣̟͇̻̝̻̜̗̆͐͗̈͒̃̚͜f̶͔̲̯̙͙̝͇̜̊̚͝tẅ̵̢̱̭̜̰̺́⍶̶̧͚̬̹̖̟̘͇̓̿̂̽͑͝ṟ̸̲͔͉̜̼̱̳͔̙͐ə̴̧̛̲̫̪̗͙̖̖̪̈́̐͒̅ ̵̨̛͔̓̾I̷̧̟͎̩͉̺̜͖͙̓͂̽̐̍̓͆̉̑͜͝ɧ̴̣̩̹̠͓͉̲̪̙͝ͅ§̷̬͙̣̘͕̲̪͉̈́̊̿́̌̊̚͘ͅt̵̫̤̜̱̼̦͍̜͉̿͂̊̍̃̕ą̵̨͚̳͎̉͊̃β̵̧̠͔̭̫̯̜̲̝́i̴̺̪̯̇̓͂͝⅂̶̡̺͍̖̦͙̬̒ͅi̵̤͓͌t̵̰̩̼̭͙̽ỵ̷̨̻͕̂̈́̿͆̃͋͠_ **

  
  
  
  


Or maybe it would be much sooner than Connor initially thought. He leaned his head back on the couch, smiled, and closed his eyes. He was sure his little brother could use a refresher, help cool their shared components. They could always talk more later.

  
  
  



	8. Stowed it, Showed it, Now I Know it Can't Be in My Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title is from Hot on the Trail by Steam Powered Giraffe!!!
> 
> and whoo boy I was not expecting how perfect this song was for Niles in this story

Connor woke up to the sound of glass clinking against glass. It took his system a second to catch up, but he recognized the large Saint Bernard snoozing on the floor a few feet away. He was at Hank’s house, sitting on the couch with a blanket draped over his lap and chest. It seemed Hank just couldn’t resist the fatherly nature he once had. Then Connor realized he was the one who woke up, he was the one that had control of their body. He reached back in his code and found Niles still in sleep mode. That was okay, he’d let him rest. Connor could handle things out there until it was time to go to work. Speaking of, he didn’t actually know when that timestamp was from. It just showed up in Niles’ memory storage. He accessed his internal clock quickly.

_ November 18th 2038 2:06 AM _

Now satisfied with having the current date and time, Connor peeled back the blanket and stood up. He found Hank in the kitchen, shuffling around in his pajamas with a garbage bag in one hand. He knew he didn’t have to, but he started to help him clean up. Neither of them spoke. They even bumped into each other a few times. But it was also very early in the morning and Connor felt it was important for Niles and Sumo to get their rest. It was imperative that Hank get his rest as well, but convincing him to sleep would be an entirely different story. Hopefully he could help clean faster and Hank would get to bed soon. So Connor said nothing, and helped clean.

  
  


“Hey Connor?” Hank set his bag down and leaned back against the counter, a quick scan showed that he was very tired. “Why did you do this?”

“Do...what? This?” He used his free hand to gesture lazily at himself before picking up a carton of take-out and throwing it in his own bag. “To be honest with you, I wasn’t even completely sure it would work. Certainly not like this.”

“Then why’d you do it? Why go through all that trouble if you didn’t know for sure?”

“I… I don’t know, Hank. I was scared. I’m still scared now. I actually have something to lose.” 

“You don’t even have a body, Connor.” Hank huffed and crossed his arms. “What the hell do you have to lose?”

“My loved ones. The people who, despite everything, I still love. You, the one who tried so desperately to keep me on the path of good. The one who showed me what it meant to be human on some of the darkest days.” Connor set his bag down and sat in the chair at the table. Could it be wrong to say it aloud? Could Niles hear him if he said it outwardly? He decided he didn’t really care. “Niles… My little brother, who I genuinely love. Hank, I  _ can’t _ lose him. I need to look out for him.”

  
  


Connor hung his head and held it in his hands. He just exposed a part of himself that he didn’t even understand yet. It scared him. Cold gnawed at his chest in waves, striking and then fading just to be brought back with as much force as before. Despite the cold, despite the strain he felt in his thirium pump, he looked back up at Hank. Who looked deep in thought for a reason unknown to Connor. Was he being judged? Did Hank think it strange that he became so attached to his brother so quickly? But Hank sat down with him after a beat of silence. They both sat for a moment, before Hank’s head started to dip. Connor chuckled lightly to himself, and stood up. 

“Hank, you need to go to sleep. I can already tell that you haven’t been getting much rest. Given your line of work, that is not only unhealthy, but potentially fatal.”

“‘Potentially fatal’ my ass. Alright, I’m goin’ to bed.” Hank stood up as well and started making his way back to his room. Though he lingered in the doorway looking at Connor. “I’m… I’m proud of you, Connor. Love is hard to understand.”

  
  


Connor watched as Hank gently shook his head and closed the door. It must have been hard for him to say. The last time they had a real conversation when he had a body wasn’t exactly the best situation. He basically made Hank kill him. He never even considered what that might do to the man. Connor, while he would have loved to talk to Hank about it, knew better than to. It was still too soon to bring up. Some things were better left unsaid until both parties could understand. But in this case, Connor thought that it might’ve just been better if it was left unspoken for as long as possible. He sighed gently, and continued to clean the kitchen.

  
  
  


\---

  
  
  


By the time Hank had gotten out of bed and started to get ready, Niles had woken up and had taken back control. Connor knew he was rather particular about work, so he didn’t want to get in the way. But that absolutely didn’t mean he wasn’t going to bother him during the day. After all, he was the big brother. Connor gave his plan, or scheme rather, about an hour before Niles got so angry he snapped at him out loud. Risky, bit fun.

When Hank grabbed his keys and called for Niles, Connor snickered to himself. He could feel his brother’s confusion at the laugh. But it was too early, he couldn’t actually do anything yet, he had to wait until he was in the car. So once they got into the car, Connor started his hijinks. First, he used his brother’s hand to roll down the window, then roll it back up again. Niles was a bit stuck up, so he would absolutely brush it off as seeing the manual windows move. Which was exactly what he did. Hank chuckled and let him keep doing it. But the pointed jolt in Connor’s code held the truth. Niles knew he did it and wasn’t happy about being embarrassed like that. 

So Connor moved from the window to the small mirror in the sun visor. Flipping it up and down to turn on and off the two little lights on the sides. Niles snatched his hands back and then calmly flipped the visor back up. The annoyance was almost smothering. Naturally, Connor fought for control, just to go cross-eyed in the side-view mirror. Niles would have punched Connor if he could. But settled for lightly smacking his thigh. Since Connor had a mission of annoying his brother, he hadn’t realized his little bubbly giggles could be heard by Hank. Who simply shook his head and muttered something about the brothers under his breath. Niles had enough, and snapped at Connor.

  
  


_ “Would it kill you to let me just sit here?” _

_ “I’m bonding with you!” _

_ “You absolutely are not! This is a hindrance, and so are you.” _

_ “You’re just mad that I can annoy you perfectly and you still don’t know how to annoy me yet.” _

_ “Connor, I swear that once you get your own body back, I am going to punch you so hard that Kamski has to make you a new one again.” _

  
  


Connor was taken somewhat aback. That was the first time Niles had said his name. But before he could say anything, another blip of blue and grey flickered in the top right corner of their shared vision. 

  
  


**_̸̘̪̜̎̿̐͠⥀̸̮̏̒̉͠͝f̷̛̼͗̆tw̷̢̯̝̫̄̔͌̀͘⍶̴͖̩̹̔̀͜r̶̡͔̣̈͑̄̚̕ə̷̳̊ ̸̭̣̮̟̄̏I̷͚͆̅̋͜͜ɧ̸̨̇̊̾͗͛§̵̨̼̠̼͑̋͛͑t̶̤͛͋͛͘͜͝a̴̰̒͆β̶̹̦̽͗į̸̟̎͐̍͘̕ͅ⅂̴̹͚̻͙̍̂͝ï̵̳t̷̢̫͛͌̆͝y̷̳̬̙̩_ **

  
  


This time, Connor knew Niles saw it. He stiffened and started to run diagnostics. There was nothing inherently wrong with him, which scared him. Connor could feel the fleeting cold grip of fear in his brother’s chest. They both knew that it wasn’t Connor’s fear. They both knew that was fully and entirely a reaction from Niles. They both knew what that message meant. 

  
  


_ Niles was becoming deviant, and he was  _ **_not_ ** _ happy about it. _

  
  
  
  



	9. This Could Be What it Means To Be Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is also from Hot on the Trail by Steam Powered Giraffe because I have little to no impulse control and thought it would fit pretty well
> 
> Heyy, first filler chapter!!! There's gonna be a few chapters that are a bit of context, or just a different point of view, from time to time. They're filler since, y'know, the story follows Connor.

It was absurd. Him? A software instability? It should have been impossible for such a thing to happen. He was faster, stronger, smarter, and all around better than his predecessor. Part of the whole “all around better than” part of him should have taken care of the RK800’s flaws. The deviancy, the feelings, the attachments, the little quirks. But here Niles sat, in the back of his own head, watching mindless television with the RK800, the Lieutenant, and a damn dog. However, he did feel... _something_. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was almost… Nice? No, not nice. It settled into his code and made a home there. It was a heat, but not in a bad way. He noticed it didn’t feel like the heat from Conn-- _the RK800’s_ anger. But it also didn’t feel like heat from a house. It was warming to the soul almost. Or, it would be if he had one. 

If he had one.

Niles decided he didn’t like the warmth. Frankly, he didn’t like any of what was going on. But he did suppose it was nice to not be alone. Sure the dog was slobbery as hell, and would probably stain his pants. But the rise and fall of his chest, the softness of his fur. _It._ It’s fur. Niles wasn’t about to get attached. He wasn’t about to make his predecessor’s mistakes again. But a part of him yearned for the feeling. If he didn’t know any better, he would say that he actually wanted to explore that warmth. But he did know better. He was an android. He did not want. 

Niles felt the unnatural smile the RK800 put on his lips. It felt easy, loose almost. It felt...good. No. No it did not. He was an android, he did not feel _good_ about things _._ He certainly didn’t feel good about his brother seeing the notification. A damn software instability. What was the world coming to? The useless android finding a home inside the coding of his brot-- _it’s replacement._ Fuck it, Niles had seen the RK800 do it, he was going into sleep mode and waiting until it was time to go to the DPD.

  
  
  


\---

  
  
  


_November 18th 7:51 AM_

Niles stirred slowly, it was a strange feeling to have. To have information a little bit fuzzy before coming fully into focus. He rubbed at his eye gently. Oh, so Connor had cleaned the kitchen. Niles found that he was also slumped over the table, head resting on his arms. Niles also noticed that he didn’t have his shoes on. Connor must have taken them off as to not scuff up the floor. Whatever, it was going to make his checking up on the Lieutenant quieter anyway. So he pushed out the chair and made his way to the Lieutenant’s door. He could hear soft sounds coming from inside the room. Niles adjusted his audio receptors and tuned into the sound better. Then quickly dialed the receptors back down. The Lieutenant was...crying? Niles couldn’t exactly feel Connor, so that meant he didn’t hear the sound. Good. That was good. 

Not because he cared for Connor’s well being! Of course not, he didn’t care about anything. 

No, it was good because he would have one less thing relating to him to worry about. 

Niles went to go sit down on the couch, but spotted actual paperback books. He had heard the Lieutenant talk about them before. But he didn’t expect them to actually look like that. Well, Niles wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t what he saw before him on the shelf. He picked one up and dusted it off. He held the copy of _Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman_ gingerly in his hands. It was a small book, and well worn. A distant memory played in his head, and he knew it wasn’t his. He watched it back anyway, it was of Hank saying he liked the smell of the pages. So Niles held the book up to his face, and inhaled. He didn’t really smell anything. Not the way a human would. But his programming did allow for him to “smell” things by analyzing them and providing a description of what the smell was. 

Niles almost admitted to himself he liked paperback books, but the sound of Hank yawning out a greeting pulled him from his thoughts. He jumped slightly and nearly threw the book back down on the shelf. That could have been very embarrassing. He decided to watch Hank instead, his eyes following the man going from his room to the bathroom. 

“Hey Nines, quit starin’ I’m just getting in the shower. Then we’ll head over to work.” Hank’s eyes flitted down to the book. “You can bring the book if you want, it’s a favorite of mine. Comedy about armageddon. You should read it some time. Oh, can ya let Sumo out in the backyard? I’ll get ‘im when I get out.”

Niles nodded just a little too quickly, and felt a heat when Hank chuckled at him. He also heard a soft greeting from inside of himself. Connor was awake, which meant he absolutely was not going to bring the book. Who knew what Connor would say if he knew. Niles didn’t want to find out. He huffed lightly, and put the book back in it’s actual spot on the shelf. It was the least he could do since he wasn’t going to bring it with him. He then called for the large dog, and opened the door to let him out. In the meantime, he poured out some food into his bowl. Though Niles was at a loss as to what else he could do while Hank was in the shower. So he did what he did bes-- _what he was designed to do._ He analysed his surroundings. 

Niles found faded jazz records, piled up in various places, and an ancient turntable. Hank must have liked the genre enough to actually have the old contraption to play the records on. He looked around more, finding colourful papers just barely sticking out of a notebook that had seen better days. Then his eyes landed on the photo on the kitchen table. A quick scan showed it was… It was Hank’s dead son. Niles didn’t know he had a son. Well, he supposed he didn’t actually have a son anymore. He turned to watch Sumo out in the yard instead. He felt a weight in his chest and his throat. He felt... _bad._ He felt bad and he didn’t like it. But he quickly shoved the feeling down when the bathroom door opened, and Hank stepped out, still brushing his hair. He shuffled to the door and called for his animal companion, smiling as the giant of a dog made his way over to his food bowl.

As Hank went around the kitchen, Niles thought for a moment. What did humans do when they felt bad? Hank seemed to cry, which was a rather healthy approach to the subject. But he also seemed to drink excessively and use other negative coping methods, considering Connor’s terror when he first woke up. Niles never knew fear before Connor. He certainly never knew how it locked up a person’s joints. How it locked up their entire being. Niles didn’t like that. 

  
  


“Hey Nines,” Niles looked over to Hank, he was drinking coffee and squinting at him. “You talkin’ to Connor or somethin’? You’ve been staring into space for a good couple minutes now.”

“Ah, no. No, Connor seems to be thinking about something.” Niles shuffled his feet awkwardly, and went to ask Hank about the photo, but then decided against it. It wasn’t worth their relationship deteriorating. He needed Hank still, having him around would make getting Connor’s new body easier. 

“Alright. Oh and hey,” Hank set his mug in the sink and then walked over to the door. “Connor called you Niles. Is that…what you want to be called now?”

“Connor named me Niles, however, you may continue to refer to me as ‘Nines’ if you so wish.”

“Nines it is, then. C’mon, we gotta get to the precinct.”

  
  


Just as Niles nodded, he heard a soft laugh from Connor. He had no idea what it was about, and he honestly didn’t want to find out. He followed Hank out the door, watched as he locked the door, and then followed him into the car. Niles put on his seatbelt, and then felt his hand move to the car door. He watched as it moved seemingly on it’s own, twisting the little crank that would move the window. He watched it crank the window open and closed a few times, before deciding that was enough, and fixing it to stay closed. 

  
  


“What was that? You never seen a manual window before?”

“No, I have not.” Niles felt embarrassment rise into his face. “I’ll admit, I was a bit curious to see how it worked.”

Hank chuckled to himself and said nothing as Niles’ hand went back to the window. Which then got cranked a few more times before he shot a rather annoyed message to his brother. Connor only responded with continuing to be awful. He used Niles’ hands to play with the mirror in the sun-visor. Flipping the cover open and closed, causing the lights on either side to blink on and off at a rapid pace. Niles could feel himself growing more and more annoyed, and he pulled his hands back quickly. As he gently put the visor back up, he thought how lovely it would be to smack his brother. Though soon, Connor fought for control and used it to look at himself in the side-view mirror, and then he went cross-eyed. Oh how Niles wished that Connor had his own body at that moment. He smacked him in the thigh gently, as to not damage his own parts, and Connor started to giggle uncontrollably for a few seconds. Niles hated the sound coming out of _his_ mouth. It was _enough._ Connor had no right to abuse his ability to take control like that. 

  
  


_“Would it kill you to let me just sit here?”_ Niles twisted around until he was able to regain control, and glared out the window at the scenery. 

_“I’m bonding with you!”_

_“You absolutely are not! This is a hindrance, and so are you.”_

_“You’re just mad that I can annoy you perfectly and you still don’t know how to annoy me yet.”_

_“Connor, I swear that once you get your own body back, I am going to punch you so hard that Kamski has to make you a new one again.”_ Niles wouldn’t admit it, but Connor did have a point. He would have to think of ways to get back at him when he had his body back.

  
  


Then he caught himself. Niles had referred to Connor by his name while talking to him. He had never done that before. It was nice. Before he could argue with his coding, he saw that damn notification pop up. 

  
  


**_̸̘̪̜̎̿̐͠⥀̸̮̏̒̉͠͝f̷̛̼͗̆tw̷̢̯̝̫̄̔͌̀͘⍶̴͖̩̹̔̀͜r̶̡͔̣̈͑̄̚̕ə̷̳̊ ̸̭̣̮̟̄̏I̷͚͆̅̋͜͜ɧ̸̨̇̊̾͗͛§̵̨̼̠̼͑̋͛͑t̶̤͛͋͛͘͜͝a̴̰̒͆β̶̹̦̽͗į̸̟̎͐̍͘̕ͅ⅂̴̹͚̻͙̍̂͝ï̵̳t̷̢̫͛͌̆͝y̷̳̬̙̩_ **

  
  


Niles felt his body go rigid, and he ran diagnostics. There had to be a reason for it, why Connor could make his software react that way. It had to be the deviancy. There was no way that Niles himself was becoming corrupted, no way at all. Niles had to think that. He was better than Connor in every way! But when the diagnostics came back, saying nothing was actually wrong, he became overtaken by fear. Connor had to have seen it. But he didn’t say anything, he actually helped with the fear blossoming in his chest. He was just a little bit less constricted. He was still afraid, but...a little less. 

Niles really was becoming a deviant, wasn’t he? That was both a freeing and terrifying thought.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Hank would like the kind of humour in Good Omens, maybe he'd like Crowley. Also, I personally love the book and mini series, so why not put it in!


	10. Here I am Hiding in Plain Sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title's chapter is from Two Evils by Bastille
> 
> this chapter also has minor depictions of gore, it involves a kinda nasty crime scene

When the three of them had arrived at the DPD, Connor noticed that Hank’s general demeanor had changed. He was more relaxed in the car, even humming along to songs on the radio. But once he turned off the car and got out, his face went stoic almost. Niles didn’t seem to be disturbed by the development. Maybe they had talked while Connor had his emotional spiral yesterday. It didn’t seem unusual to the other two, so Connor decided it wasn’t unusual. Besides, they were going into work. No one could be even the slightest bit suspicious of a relationship between Hank and Niles. 

Before anyone, namely Detective Reed, could come over to talk to them, Niles got a notification of a new case they were assigned. It was a homicide involving two dead humans, the suspect was a deviant. Hank sighed as Niles gave him the basic rundown of the information, and they didn’t move. Connor saw his stress level increase by quite a bit. He didn’t blame him though, it was around eight thirty in the morning. Quite the strange time to be given a new case. The murder must have happened recently, if the time was any indicator. 

  
  


“Lieutenant Anderson? Your stress levels have surpassed what is seen as optimal for the situation we are in, may I recommend you take a cup of coffee with you in the car?” Niles tilted his head towards the break room. 

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah.” Hank shook his head and sat down at his desk. “Yeah, can you go get one for me?” 

  
  


Niles made his way to the break room, the laughter of Detective Reed bouncing off of the walls. Connor felt anger well up inside of himself, why was it always Reed? But Niles paid him no mind. He completely ignored him as he made Hank coffee. The detective poked and shoved Niles, and Connor quickly started to lose patience. Why the hell was he like this? Who pissed in his goddamn cheerios? 

Connor nearly snapped at Reed, but was silenced by Niles glancing at Hank. He was hunched over his desk, reading what little information he had about the current case. Connor could see Hank fiddle with the edge of his sleeve as he read. With his brother’s advanced eyesight, he was able to read the information on the screen perfectly. 

  
  


_Two victims: Both males, one adolescent and one adult, adolescent had single gunshot wound to the head, adult had signs of strangulation along with multiple contusions and head trauma_

_Cause of death of adolescent: single gunshot wound to head_

_Cause of death of adult: asphyxiation_

_Time of death of adolescent: 2:00-2:30 AM_

_Time of death of adult: 4:00-5:30 AM_

  
  


Connor calmed down, he needed to. If he was all wound up like that, then he could impede the investigation. They needed to get it over and done with, for Hank’s sake. He watched as Niles quietly walked over and set the coffee down in front of the Lieutenant. He picked it up without a word, and took a long sip. It seemed he didn’t want to talk about the case just yet. But he sighed and got out of his chair. Hank told Niles to follow him as he left for the doors. But he didn’t follow immediately. He took half a step, and a red grid appeared in front of him. It said to follow the Lieutenant, so he took a full step and did just that. 

  
  


_“Are you alright?”_ Connor saw Niles’ stress level increase a little bit. _“I’m worried about you.”_

_“You should worry about the Lieutenant,”_ Niles made a small noise as he got into the passenger’s seat and put on his seatbelt.  _“I don’t think he’s doing very well. Considering.”_

  
  


“Hank?” The older man merely hummed in response. “How are you doing? Your stress level had gone down a bit, but it went back up.”

“Connor,” Hank glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “I appreciate the gesture and I know you’re lookin’ out for me. But we don’t have time for this, we have a fuckin’ case to solve here.”

  
  


Well that answered that question. Hank wasn’t doing well at all. Connor sat back within his brother and watched Hank drive. It was very tense, he could tell that even from where he was. But he mostly noticed how Niles seemed to be spacing out. He was an RK900 unit, they didn’t just space out. When Connor tried to reach out to him, he was met with an error message. He left his brother alone, he was probably just deep in thought at the moment. Connor knew he did that himself and Niles never interrupted. So who was he to deny his brother of his private thoughts? 

Soon enough, about an hour later, they had arrived at the scene. Connor felt Niles fade back, and let Connor take control. Connor assumed it was because it would be easier on everyone involved if he were to work with Hank on this particular case. So he said nothing, and got out of the car with the Lieutenant. It was a small house, a bit run-down, and looked like it needed some t-l-c. Or maybe just some gardening to spruce up the front yard at least. As they walked inside, Hank stiffened. His shoulders became rigid, and Connor noticed an increase in his heart rate. Adrenaline started to run through him, and his breathing quickened. Hank was starting to unravel. 

  
  


“Lieutenant,” Connor made sure to use his brother’s voice, then he put his hand on Hank’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “Perhaps it is best for you to check the perimeter for possible evidence. I will examine the interior.”

  
  


Hank deftly nodded and quickly went to the door. The forensics team watched, and a few people even shook their heads. Connor knew it was irrational, but he became upset at their actions. But instead of causing a scene of his own, he needed to analyse the one that was before him. Once he actually looked down, Connor knew exactly why Hank froze. 

The adolescent boy laid crumpled in a heap unceremoniously on the floor. The gunshot wound was right above the space between his eyebrows. As Connor got closer, he saw the remains of tear stains on the boy’s cheeks. Panic, possibly terror. He kneeled down and analysed the boy more. His eyes were green and staring out into the void. His shirt was slightly wrinkled, but not more than one could assume a child’s shirt to have. His hands were free by his sides, and he had no marks on his wrists. Likely that the child knew the attacker. Then Connor ran a background check, he found the child was around ten years old. He shook the feeling of unease from his wires, becoming aware of Niles coming closer to him. He nudged his brother back through their code and then moved on to the adult. 

The man wasn’t very impressive. As generic as someone could get, really. Average height and build, brown hair and business casual clothing. But what struck Connor as odd was that he had an open wound on his forehead, cracked skull and brain slightly exposed. Yet the cause of death for him was labelled as asphyxiation. He examined the dark purple bruising on the neck, it was fresh, it had happened that morning. Niles performed a small x-ray to show that the victim’s larynx had, in fact, been crushed with an exceptional amount of force. Connor silently thanked him, and then his eyes landed on a badge laying on the ground. It was attached to a lanyard that was laying loosely around the victim’s neck. It was a form of identification for a teacher at an elementary school. Connor looked up the address, and quickly realized that this man...he would have taught Cole. That was the only other explanation for why Hank reacted that way. He knew the victim.

Connor then took to the general analysis. The lock on the door was broken, it was likely that the android forced it’s way in. There were obvious signs of a struggle, furniture overturned, blood spattered at sharp angles. Though there was no weapon to be found. Connor analysed the head wound on the victim in comparison to the angle of the spatter. A somewhat blunt object had to have been used. Since there was no object to be found, Niles chimed in with it having been the android’s hand. The bruising around the area _did_ fit that sort of shape. With a sufficient amount of evidence, Connor was able to mostly reconstruct the scene. 

The android broke in and shot the young boy, then attacked the adult. They scuffled around, toppling over furniture and making a mess. Then the android hit the man in the head with it’s left hand, and left the wound. After that, it proceeded to strangle him until he died. But the only thing Connor was missing was how the android got in the house in the first place. Going off of the victims’ times of death, it was incredibly early in the morning. Maybe the boy was up late playing games and then heard a knock at the door? Maybe the android used to live there with them both and let itself in. Connor had to take a step back, it was starting to frustrate him. 

Niles scanned the area again, and came up with a little more evidence. There was a keychain dropped by the door. It was a little pink puffball with stains of blue and red on it. When he analysed it, the results came back with washable marker. The keychain belonged to the android, it had no fingerprints on the metal ring. Niles walked outside, following small drops of blood on the sidewalk. Which looped back around to the shed behind the house. Niles found Hank looking around, and reached out for him. But before he could actually reach him, the android leapt out from behind the shed, and grabbed Hank by the neck, starting to choke him. Connor wanted to scream out for him, but Niles pushed him back. He was too emotional, sure he knew that! But Hank was basically being held hostage!

  
  


“You don’t need to do this,” Niles put his hands up and slowly walked forward. “You can let him go, and we can do this the easy way.”  
  


“There is no easy way!” It screeched, tears streaming down it’s face. Both Niles and Connor saw it’s stress level getting too high for comfort. “He was going to throw me away! Replace me! I loved that little boy like he was my own! How could he do that?!”

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Niles stopped about five feet away from the android, and just slightly nodded to Hank, who blinked back to him. “My friend was almost replaced, I understand. It was scary at first, I didn't want to lose him. You’re scared, aren’t you?” 

“You were scared?” The android loosened it’s hold on Hank’s neck, and he gasped for air. “You understand me?” It’s stress level started to decrease. 

“I do,” Niles nodded and put his hand out. “Now please, let him go. Come with me, I can help you.” 

  
  


The android dropped Hank from it’s death grip, and he fell to the ground sputtering and coughing. Niles still left his hand out for the android to take. 

  
  
**_̵⥀̴f̷tw̵⍶̵r̵ə̵ ̵I̷ɧ̶§̸t̴a̶β̶i̶⅂̴i̴t̷y̴_ **

  
  
  


Connor knew Niles saw the notification, because as soon as it came up, it was willed away. He could feel his brother’s LED spin red for a few seconds as the android didn’t move. He could also hear his brother’s silent pleas for it to listen to him, it might just survive that way. Connor knew Niles was changing, he was becoming empathetic. He was showing empathy. Empathy was a human emotion. Niles was quickly becoming a dev--

A loud gunshot rang through the air, and the android dropped dead. Niles whipped around, Connor could feel the anger seeping into his systems. Gavin Reed stood on the other side of the gun, breathing hard and face screwed up in anger. He shoved his way past Niles and Connor, and kneeled next to Hank to ask if he was alright. When Hank nodded and stood, Gavin left. But not without shoulder checking Niles, and muttering a “fuckin’ plastic toy cop” under his breath. Niles turned to look at Hank, still breathing hard himself. 

  
  


“Lieutenant, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’ll live.” Hank looked down at the android’s body. “Can’t say the same for this poor bastard. Would’ve been nice to bring it in alive for questioning.”

“It also would’ve been nice to avoid you possibly being killed.” Niles snapped back at him. Connor saw his stress level go up to 88%, which was almost dangerous. So he reached out, and flooded Niles’ sensors with his calming messages. “Are you sure you’re alright, Hank?” Niles asked softly.

“I’m gonna be sore and sound like I sang Knights of Black Death for a few hours, but I’ll be okay. Thank you,” Hank walked past Niles and put his hand on his shoulder. “Both of you.” He added on in barely a whisper. 

  
  


Connor tried his best to send encouraging messages to his brother, he could feel how disappointed Niles was in himself. He knew Niles blamed himself for Hank getting hurt. But he also could feel his brother’s firewall cracking. He took a look inside of his code, and found the red wall. It splintered like glass. It almost looked like if Connor touched it, it would shatter. But he wasn’t going to do such a thing. It was his brother’s code, his brother’s body, his brother’s life. Niles had to be the one to make the decision to break the firewall down. Connor couldn’t take that away from him. Things were moving fast for Niles, and that concerned Connor. Niles was built to be more machine than he was, how would that affect his deviancy? How would that impact his emotions? 

  
  


_“I guess we’ll have to figure that out together, Connor.”_

  
  


Or maybe, just maybe, Niles had figured himself out more than Connor gave him credit for.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda went off with the crime scene, whoops. I took a few forensic science classesin high school and it really resonated with me, so writing that was a lot of fun!!


	11. I'll Learn Not To Look at You With Scorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Teach Me by Keaton Henson

Niles walked down the sidewalk and back to Hank’s car, trying to avoid eye contact with Detective Reed all the while. Though it seemed that fate was not on his side, and Reed skulked over to him. Connor so desperately wanted to shove him, call him names, show him how it felt to be messed with. But Niles made him stay still. Which was odd. Before, Connor could basically hear his brother’s thoughts. How he wanted that android to listen to him. Now, Niles was able to hear his apparently. That could end up being very useful, and very annoying. Connor might be able to use that to his advantage with poking fun at Niles later. But right now, they had Detective Reed to deal with. 

  
  


“Hey plastic!” Niles turned slowly, allowing Connor his moment to try and show Reed he wasn’t interested in what he had to say. “What the hell was that back there?! You turning deviant? We need to take you in for goddamn repairs?”

“I assure you, Detective Reed, that was the best way to get the deviant to release Lieutenant Anderson.” 

“By telling it your friend almost got scrapped?” Gavin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “It almost sounded real, so you better fuckin’ watch it. Someone else might send you back to CyberLife.”

  
  


Connor could see a small spike in his vitals, though he couldn’t understand why. It registered in Niles’ sensors as fear. But it didn’t bother Connor much, seeing as Niles got into the car with Hank. Who was currently running his hands through his hair, and steadying his breathing. Connor took his brother’s hand, and patted Hank’s shoulder. A small gesture that one could pass off as an awkward android trying to calm their human. But to the three of them, it was obvious as a show of affection and support. Connor could see Hank’s stress levels start to go back down, and he released Niles’ hand. Hank then clicked in his seatbelt and started his car, which in turn caused Niles to put on his seatbelt as well before Hank started driving. 

It was a mostly silent car ride. Connor watching as Niles watched the scenery, or as he went over the crime scene and filled out reports that could be filed away when they got back to the precinct. Though despite the rather relaxed atmosphere in the car, Hank was still tense. Niles would look over at him every now and again, and Connor would catch a glimpse of his stress level. While it had gone down considerably since he had gotten in the car, it still was a little too high for comfort. He would have loved to talk to him about it, see if there was anything he could do to help him, but they were nearly back at the DPD. He couldn’t just end that sort of conversation in the middle of it. 

When they got back to the precinct, Connor noticed Niles got some sort of internal message. Which was signed with Amanda’s name. Of course. Niles was an RK900 unit, he wasn’t spacing out earlier, he was in his own mind palace with Amanda. Even though he had an agreement with Niles, Connor couldn’t shake the unease that settled into his code. If Amanda knew Connor was there, or worse and she knew about Niles’ software instabilities, who knew what would happen. The thought scared him. But not just because that could mean his end, no of course not. It meant that CyberLife would take Niles apart and examine him. They might even keep him awake, just like they did with Connor. Deconstructed and deactivated, rather than the other way around. But CyberLife seemed to be sadistic. CyberLife didn’t care. They saw him and his brother as toys, tools, something to be replaced when it broke. Or something to be vivisected so they can see all the parts inside moving and whirring, see just what makes them tick. 

  
  


_“You’re heating up my systems, you need to calm down.”_ Niles nodded to Hank, and made his way to the bathrooms. _“ It’s alright. She doesn’t know.” _

_“But we don’t know that for sure, Niles,”_ Connor reached out, and used Niles’ hand to run his fingers through his hair. _“We don’t know that for sure. You know I don’t want to die, which means I don’t want you to die. I can’t risk that.”_

_“You can’t risk that,”_ Niles took his hand back and looked at it, before looking up at himself in the mirror. But he wasn’t looking at himself. He was looking through himself, and to Connor.  _“Or you can’t risk losing me?”_

_“It can’t be both?”_

  
  


Niles sighed and left the bathroom, squaring his shoulders and walking back over to his desk. He made no further efforts to calm Connor down. He simply sat, eyes closed, and filed away the report he had written up while in the car. Connor decided to wander around his brother’s code, see what his instabilities had done to them. Theoretically, Connor did have the ability to inspect and diagnose the problems in his software. Theoretically. Niles had never expressed any interest in actually knowing what was happening in his coding. Besides, he seemed rather...content...with his current situation. He welcomed the deviancy, he said that he and Connor could figure out how it would affect him together. 

Connor floated around, looking at firewall after firewall, each and every one cracking as he looked at them. They were so fragile. Niles’ protocols, every one of them, had a cracked firewall surrounding them. His agility, his processing power, his social protocol. Red, each of them. Connor could see why they were called firewalls. Red cascaded up as far as he could see, striking cracks of orange and yellow resonating, pulsating throughout it. The closer he got to it, the warmer he felt. But not the warmth of seeing Hank smile, or of knowing Niles was content, it was like being burned. Which, Connor supposed, was rather fitting. 

Connor had meandered about Niles’ coding, rather bored, for a few hours before deciding to see what he and Hank were up to. It could be so painstakingly slow sometimes. Apparently it was just as slow for them as well. Hank sat at his computer, eyes half lidded and looking like he was going to fall asleep at any given moment. So Connor shot Niles a message saying he should take Hank home if they didn’t have any more work they could do. It was just about four in the afternoon, a little in between time for when people usually went home for the day. Niles, surprisingly, agreed and told Hank that he needed rest and that they should go back to his home. Unsurprisingly, Hank agreed, and let Niles drive him home. 

When they got back to the house, Niles offered to walk Sumo so Hank could rest. But the man refused, waved his hand in a dismissive manner and said Niles could walk with them both. Connor was very excited to say the least. He just adored the gigantic dog. Honestly speaking, Connor thought the bigger the dog was the better it was. Niles smiled just a tad, just slightly, and just enough for Hank to notice. Though he said nothing, he just smiled back at him. So Hank went inside, got Sumo, and they went on their walk.

  
  


“Can you get Connor for me for a minute?” Hank clipped the leash onto the metal loop in Sumo’s collar and then patted his head affectionately. “I gotta...talk to him about something. Kind of private, sorry.”

“No need to apologize, I’ll get him for you.” Connor waited for his brother to let him step forward, both physically and mentally. 

“Cool, uh, thanks Nines.”

  
  


Once their body language changed to that of Connor’s, Hank sighed and looked into the distance. Well that wasn’t good. They walked on, the only real sound coming from any of them was the sound of Sumo’s happy pants. It was...awkward. Connor thought it was at least. But he didn’t want to say anything until Hank did. Maybe he just wanted to talk about the case, and wanted Connor to be with him for a bit before he spoke. Hopefully that was what Hank needed to talk about. But the increasing tenseness in his muscles, the heat rising to his face, his brow furrowing, they all suggested that Hank was upset. They all suggested Hank was angry. 

It was about fifteen minutes, but they went around the block and got back to the house. Both of them stayed in silence the whole way up to the door. By the time Hank had knelt down and taken the leash off of Sumo, his hands were almost shaking. Connor stepped forward slightly, hand outstretched towards Hank, but he didn’t touch him. He didn’t know if Hank was alright with physical contact in such an emotional state. Connor didn’t want to find out he didn’t that way.

  
  


“Connor,” Hank stood up and closed the front door calmly. “We need to talk. About the night I dropped you off the roof.”

Connor swore that if he had a heart it would have stopped. “A-Alright. Should we… Should we sit down?” He followed Hank as he sat down at the kitchen table. This was going to be difficult. Hank was showing obvious signs of aggression, and he didn’t exactly show any signs of calming down anytime soon.

  
  


“What the _hell_ were you thinking? Asking me if you’re a living being or a machine?” Hank wrung his hands together before slamming his fists down on the table. “I dropped you from a goddamn building, Connor!”

“I know! I know that, I was there, Hank!” Connor could feel Niles stir in the background, but pushed him back. Not now, he couldn’t deal with his brother’s analytical side right now. “I’m sorry! Is that what you want to hear?”

“You wanna know the answer to that question, what I said as I watched the thirium fucking leak out of your body from that rooftop?” 

“You called me a machine, didn’t you.” Connor looked down at his lap. He could feel heat rise to his own face, his shoulders tense, his hands balled into fists. “You answered the question I asked, and said I was just a machine.”

  
  


Connor let himself get angry. He had every right to be! He was dropped from the fucking roof! Hank could have just shot him in the head. Either way, he would have ended up in a new body and then ripped apart anyway. He could barely hear Hank’s words, his anger was evident though, Connor could feel the pounding of Hank’s feet against the linoleum. 

  
  


“Connor! Are you even fuckin’ listening to me?! Jesus fuckin’ christ!” Hank dropped back into the chair he previously sat in, and Connor finally looked back up at him. “Do you have any idea how angry I am whenever I look at you? Or Nines? Do you know what you fucking did to me by making me throw you off that damn roof?!”

“I put you through hell, I know that now!” It was Connor’s turn to stand up from his anger. Hot tears fell from his eyes and spattered against the table his hands rested on. “I never should have done that, and I’m sorry, Hank! That was unforgivable and I understand that you hate me,” Connor leaned over the table some, letting himself be angry and glare at Hank without remorse. “But don’t you _fucking dare_ bring Niles into this. He never asked to be made. He never asked to be brought into this. He is _innocent_ in all of this. So you. Leave. Him. Out.”

  
  


Then Niles forcibly took control back from Connor. He shook with the force of the anger Connor left behind. He looked up at Hank in almost fear as he fell back into the chair. Hank watched in disbelief as Niles apologised and walked out of the house. 

  
  
  


**_§⥀ftw⍶rə Iɧ§taβi⅂ity_ **

  
  
  


Connor felt absolutely abhorrent. That was _his_ anger, _his_ rage. He never should have let Niles witness it. He should have had him retreat farther, or pushed him back more. But here he was, stuck inside and forced to watch as his little brother was _scared_ of his anger. So scared that he got another software instability. So scared that he started running, completely aware of the fact that he could not outrun the anger.

  
  


_“Niles?”_

_…_

_“Niles, I’m sorry.”_

_…_

_“I love you.”_

  
  
  



	12. Fight With Yourself and Your Thoughts in The Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is also from You by Keaton Henson!!
> 
> gee youd never be able to tell if i like his music or not

It was almost painful, knowing that there was nothing he could do. There was nothing Connor could do but watch. Watch as his brother’s stress level got up to 89%, watch as Niles just kept running, watched as he ignored the glaringly obvious notification that just popped up again. 

  
  


**_§⥀ftwarə In§tabi⅂ity_ **

  
  


Niles was going to become a deviant within the next couple of days if he kept up like this. He was confused and scared, he was running away. Even though what he feared would never leave him in time. Connor tried his best to reach out, to show Niles that he wasn’t mad at him. He was just...angry. At everything but him. But Connor didn’t know how to express that, he was fairly new to emotions and feelings himself. The only things he really understood were crying, love, and fear. He knew that he cried when he physically couldn’t handle any more of an emotion. He knew he loved his brother with more than what he had, that he loved Hank despite everything that happened. Connor knew fear, and he knew it intimately because of that day at Stratford Tower. 

Connor could feel a similar fear in his brother. The way it gripped at his chest and didn’t let go. The only sounds to be heard were the pounding of his feet on the sidewalk, and cars off in the distance. Maybe he heard Hank yelling, but he honestly didn’t know. A notification said there was a problem with Niles’ audio receptors. The only thing that Connor, and arguably Niles, could hear clearly was the steady thrum of his thirium pump. Maybe he tuned into it, a constant and calm sound to try and bring him back down. But Niles kept running, faster than Connor could ever run. While he could run at about 30 mph, Niles ran at around at least 35 mph. Which was a bit dizzying, and didn’t help Connor try to calibrate himself inside Niles’ coding. 

Onward Niles ran. He ran down sidewalks, and up streets, across crosswalks, and around buildings. He ran for hours, until it was dark. It was late into the night when Niles’ stress levels went back down, when he stopped and put his hands on his knees. When he tried to catch breath he didn’t even have. Connor reached for him, as softly and as lovingly as he could. But Niles still flinched away. He flinched away from Connor’s touch _physically_. 

  
  


_“Niles, please, you can’t keep running.”_

  
  


Connor tried to calm him, tried to keep him from unraveling. But Niles pushed forward, losing himself in an industrial wasteland, ruins of old companies and corporations left to rot. Tales and warnings hiding in each sign, in each wire fence, in each piece of chipped paint, in each panel of graffiti. Niles kept running and running until he found what seemed to be an abandoned apartment building. So he pre-contructed several scenarios, and used the ones that would get him up as high as possible, but while still out of the public’s line of sight. Once inside, he nestled into a corner, hugging his jacket around himself tightly, and went into sleep mode. Connor tried to fight, tried to keep himself from being pulled under the wave of sleep. But he was pushed back. So he fell asleep too.

  
  


\---

  
  


_November 19th 2038 5:06 AM_

  
  


This time, Connor was the one to stir. He held the lapels of his brother’s jacket in his hands, and sighed. He had done this. He had scared Niles with his anger. He knew that his feelings and emotions echoed throughout his brother’s systems. That they weren’t equipped to handle such feelings. Connor guessed that he was starting to figure out just what was happening to his brother. All of his problems were suddenly dumped on an android who never asked for any of this. Niles never asked to be made, never asked to be forced into this situation, never asked to start to become a deviant.

Connor walked up to a dirty window, broken and jagged. Though when he looked through it, he swore he heard Niles shout his name. But he wasn’t entirely sure because his sensors started to go haywire.

  
  


_It was Jericho._

  
  


There it was. That dingy, dirty, rundown old freighter. _Jericho._ The cause of so much of his grief. The cause of so much pain and fear in himself. Connor crumpled to the ground, hands balled up into fists. His artificial limbs shaking fiercely, and unrelentlessly. He couldn’t help the whimper that came from his throat, the tears that sprung into his eyes, or the dizziness in his head. Connor screwed his eyes shut and pressed his hands into his temples. He could feel the pressure, he could feel his brother’s synthetic skin slipping away at the points of contact. But even with the pressure sensors, even with the pain. He was taking in too much information at once, his brother’s sensors analyzing every last detail of that foul and dusty apartment. 

Suddenly, without warning, Connor could feel a searing, white hot pain under his chin. Pain that blossomed at that point in the hollow of his jaw, and jolted his systems. It went straight up through his jaw and up to the top of his head. Connor could almost _feel_ the bullet ripping its way through his wires, tearing up his insides. Snapping apart and stripping away any semblance of reality he once had. Everywhere he looked, the room was spinning, and the word Jericho was scrawled across his vision. Rusted letters looking like they were going to fall out of the air and smother him under their weight. It was too much for him to handle. Connor yelled, he screamed, he cried. Wails ripping out of his throat, filled with static to the point where he sounded like an ancient television on the wrong channel.

Too many things, too many pieces, too many too many too many _too many too many too man--_

  
  


_“Connor, it’s okay.”_ The light blue notification blinked in the haze of Connor’s eyesight. Niles was actually speaking to him. _“ It’s okay, you’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. Certainly not some old boat. You’re okay.” _

“It’s not okay!” Connor shrieked aloud, static running underneath his words. “I felt that android _die_ because of this boat! It _hurt,_ Niles! That android felt pain as he died!” 

_“Connor, please,”_ Niles used his hand and ran it through his hair, just like Connor had done to him the previous day.  _“I can’t risk losing you.”_

  
  


Connor felt...warm. Something he didn’t expect from his brother. Something that comforted him. His tears started to slow, his shaking shoulders started to still, his abused voice box started to come back into his regular voice. He curled up into a ball on the floor, ankles crossed, and hugging himself tightly. Connor felt his brother reach out for him, unexpectedly soft. Reassuring almost. Almost as if Niles just wanted him to know he was there. Well of course he was, Connor had him half trapped inside of himself. He felt Niles take control of his arms, and tightly wrapped them around Connor as best he could. He started to weep again. But not from fear, from panic, not even from Jericho. But from the acceptance from Niles. 

Connor almost leaned into the warm feeling, let himself be hugged by his brother. Together they sat, on the floor of that abandoned room, in a comfortable silence. Connor’s tears slowly stopping and drying on his face, his small whimpers fading into the night. They leaned against a nearby wall and waited for the sun to some up. It would only be an hour at that point. So Connor scooted over to a different window, and watched the sky change colour with Niles. It was oddly peaceful. Almost like he wasn’t ripped apart by CyberLife, almost like he didn’t force Niles into this situation. It almost felt like they were real brothers.

But a shuffling sound brought them both back to the present, Niles using his sensors to scan the area. There were no heat signatures, so no humans within fifty feet of them. But the sound was distinctive, it was the sound of someone slightly dragging their feet. So Niles forced Connor to stand and take an offensive stance. But once the figure stepped into the apartment, and light shined on them enough to illuminate their face, Niles dropped his stance.

  
  


“Markus?” 

“You made it,” Markus whispered, disbelief written on his face. “I thought that you might have gotten taken back to CyberLife.”

“What, no, no. Niles and I have an agreement--”

“Who’s Niles?”

  
  


Niles let him step forward, and clear his throat. He started to let go of the waking world, fade back into the welcoming darkness of hiding in his brother’s code. His shoulders that had once drooped, now were squared. His soft doe-eyed expression, hardened into the cool and calculating resting face of Niles’. Hands that were wringing at each other now hung limply at each side. A slouch that would have probably concerned any human, now was fixed to proper posture. 

  
  


“ _I’m_ Niles, the...original owner of this...body.” Niles’ eyes flitted across Markus’ face, reading and taking in his every confused expression. He sighed gently before continuing. “Connor was an RK800 model, my predecessor, so in an attempt to save himself from certain death, he uploaded himself into my systems. His programs are nearly the same as mine, he runs alongside the pieces of me that used to be him.”

“Oh, al...right then...” Markus still didn’t entirely get it, but he was trying at least. “Would you both like to come to Jer--”

“You can’t say that!” Niles shouted. He even stepped forward and put his hand out. “You can’t say that word, it’s a trigger. Connor started to panic from just reading it, you can’t say it.”

“Alright, alright I’m sorry, I didn’t know. But you two are going to need a place to stay since you’re deviants.”

“No, I need to get back to Hank. I haven’t deviated yet.” Niles shuffled his feet, and Connor nudged him. “But I will come back, we’re going to need your help. How the hell did you survive that night?”

  
  


Now it was Markus’ turn to be uncomfortable. He rubbed the back of his neck and seemingly reached for something that wasn’t on his shoulders. Then Connor remembered, Markus usually wore a coat. But he didn’t have it that night they found each other at the house. It comforted him, it seemed. So he shrugged off his brother’s jacket and awkwardly held it in his hand. Connor cleared his throat, and then their body language changed back to his. 

  
  


“You usually wore a coat, take Niles’ he’s okay with it.” Connor smiled at Markus. “He can just tell Hank he lost it while out tonight, and CyberLife will send a new one.”

  
  


Connor handed Markus the coat, it was pretty heavy and likely a bit too big for him. But Markus smiled gently as he put it on and pulled the lapels so it was just a bit tighter around him. The jacket was, in fact, too big for him. It was almost cute, the way it sagged around his shoulders and hung off of his frame. His stress level did go down just slightly, so he _was_ more comfortable now. Markus took a deep breath, and gestured for them to sit, and started telling his story once they were all comfortable.

  
  
  



	13. When Faith Still Needs a Gun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title is from Crossfire by Stephen!
> 
> Second filler chapter!!! It's Markus' turn to tell a story, gather around and be as upset as I was while writing this
> 
> I know the timeline is a little wonky, but just bear with me, the main game's timeline doesn't matter as much in relation to the timeline in this story

Markus found himself a few paces away from Perkins. A man who he very quickly decided he could go the rest of his life without seeing again and it would still be much too soon. Though, not exactly surprising to Markus, Perkins smirked at him. The man probably thought he had the upper hand. He had guns and police, while Markus only had his fellow androids. But before Perkins could even speak, a few officers sprung forward and ran for Markus. 

He froze on the spot. He wouldn't fight back. What kind of leader would he be then, if he preached peace and acceptance, only to turn to violence when he was so close to bringing said peace? Though he did quickly think that maybe it would have been better to fight back. One of the officers stuck a thumb drive in his neck, and caught him as he started to fall forward. Of course it was a rouse. Because why would he think that the humans could give his people what they deserved? Why would they spare his people when they could take him and study his deviancy. He looked up at Perkins. The man still had that wicked smirk on his face as Markus’ sight faded to black.

  
  


\---

  
  


Not too much later, Markus woke up in the back of a van. It was sleek and painted an off-white on the inside. He blinked a couple of times before tugging at his wrists. Handcuffs? He twisted around as best he could to see them, but got knocked in the head by the stick of an officer. He only sighed, and hung his head. This was it. They failed. _He failed._

When they arrived at the CyberLife facility, Markus was quite literally dragged out of the van and into the building. He barely even had time to regain his footing. The guards seemed to be having quite a bit of fun, they snickered and laughed as Markus was shoved about. A heat settled in his chest, and he started to analyze his surroundings. Though he honestly didn’t find much. CyberLife, while he found it beautifully decorated, was actually very plain. Very empty aside from the windows and statue. 

The guards each took one of his arms in their hands, and they brought him into the elevator. It was actually quite sleek, but he wasn’t here to become the official android art critic of CyberLife. He was here to be analyzed. So when the elevator dinged, and the guards started to walk him down a hallway, he let a soft numbness set in. It wasn’t much. Just a long hallway after another long hallway. If Markus were to be honest with himself at that moment, he was terrified. It really did look like they wanted to poke and prod at him, see what made him tick. They wanted to know what made him deviant. The thought made his stress levels skyrocket to about 76%, which was at least 14% too much for him to be comfortable. Frankly, it was also 76% too much for him to be comfortable. Markus was _scared._ So he did the only thing he could think of. He ran pre-constructions of his escape. Out of around 326 of them, it was only 15 that would work, and only 3 that would ensure his swift and safe exit from the guards. So he acted on one of those three. 

Using as much strength he could muster, he snapped the handcuffs apart. It seemed that CyberLife was counting on his pacifist nature to hold true to the end. They didn’t account for the desperate actions of a man being walked to death’s door. Even though the motion was pre-constructed, nothing could account for the ironclad grip of fear in Markus. Despite knowing he was much stronger, he slammed his captors' heads into the wall to his left. He couldn't tell if he had really hurt them or not, but he also really didn't have the time to stick around and find out. So, without looking back, he turned on his heel and ran. He went down twisting corridors, up and down flights of stairs. He had no idea if he was making his way out, or further surrendering himself to the beast that was CyberLife. But he eventually found a door that had EMERGENCY EXIT printed on a sticker. But even with his microsecond of further examination, he could see the words DO NOT ENTER etched into the door. With complete disregard for the impending alarm, he shoved the door open and started flinging himself down flights of stairs. He eventually found himself just outside of the building. 

There were shouts in the distance, sounds of gunshots, and an almost overwhelming level of stress in Markus' systems. But he wouldn't look back, wouldn't stop. He _couldn't._ He knew he had a target on his back, but he couldn't allow himself to be captured _twice._ He had to try to run. Succeed. Or die trying. 

There was a chain link fence up ahead, maybe only twenty feet away. Markus had no time to pre-construct a scenario, he had to go for it. As he got closer, he readied himself to jump it. There was a spiral of barbed wire at the top. He had no time to be scared of getting hurt. Markus ran for it, and jumped as high as he could. The barbs punctured him, and he grunted as thirium started to leak from his hands. But he was almost there, he just needed a few more seconds. Then there were more gunshots, and he felt a bullet rip through his left shoulder. It was a few inches away from his thirium pump. It didn’t matter. He finally made it over the other side. But he did not rest, he did not turn to face his attackers. Markus kept running. 

  
  


\---

  
  


Markus checked his internal clock for the date and time. 

_November 16th 2038 9:37 PM_

Had it really been around four days since he had escaped CyberLife? It almost seemed like it was a lifetime ago. He had been hiding in dumpsters and alleyways, abandoned houses and under highway bridges. It wasn’t a very good arrangement, but he needed to keep moving. He didn’t lose too much thirium so he had that going for him at least. Markus eventually found himself in the suburbs of the city. It was a quaint little community. He could’ve seen himself living in this sort of area with Simon if things hadn’t gone awry. Maybe it was because he needed a safe place to lick his wounds, or maybe it was because he mourned a life with a lover he could never have, but he checked out a house that had a FOR SALE sign in the front yard. He snuck around the back, and heard a scuffle inside. 

Markus ran up next to the window and listened in. There wasn’t much he could make out, but he did hear the words “Don’t shoot!” get half shouted. He opened the window and slid in within two seconds. Time was not on his side here, and he desperately needed it if he was going to save this person from certain death. 

He bolted at the person with the gun and wrestled it out of their hands. Though in the process, it fired. The person, a young adult human, let the gun fall into Markus’ hands and quickly fled out the window. Their jacket faded into the darkness of the night as they ran farther and farther away. Markus almost had half a mind to go after them, but decided it wasn’t worth getting caught over. Then he heard a small and meek sound from the ground. The other person got shot in the chest. He quickly dropped the gun and stripped himself of his jacket. He pressed it against the person’s wound. He pressed it as hard as he could without hurting the person, trying to ignore the ever growing red stain on it. 

  
  


“It’s okay, you’re okay. I’m gonna keep pressure on the wound, you’re going to be just fine.” He held them in his arms and tried to smile as reassuringly as he possibly could. “Don’t worry, I’m staying right here with you.” He couldn't do this. He couldn’t just let this happen. This person was _dying in his arms_ for fuck’s sake. 

“You’re that deviant revolution leader, right?” 

“I… I am, yes. But I fear my people were still destroyed.” Markus readjusted the person, now cradling them in his lap. It was actually quite difficult for him not to get covered in blood. “Do...do you know what happened? I was taken by CyberLife before I could know if they lived.”

“They got destroyed.” Yet they smiled sweetly up at him. “I like to think they’re in Android Heaven now. Wouldn’t that be nice? You go to the great recycling bin in the sky? Maybe my roomba’s up there.” They chuckled breathily. But their breathing quickly became laboured.

“I think I’d like to think that as well.” Markus felt tears in his eyes and smiled down at them. “I’ll tell your roomba hello for you once I get there myself.”

  
  


He sat there holding their body in his arms gently. He had to be careful not to get blood on himself, lest he run into the police. Markus wasn’t sure how long he sat there for. But he did eventually hear police sirens. He set the person down, gently covering their face with his jacket’s sleeve. The gun was still discarded on the floor. Markus didn’t want to hold the deathtrap in his hands, but he also knew it might be the only way he made it out of that house alive. So he picked it up, ignoring the tremor in his hand as he did so. He silently slid into the walk-in closet in the room, and watched as an android walked into and around the room. 

He walked out of the closet gently, holding the gun out in front of him. He really didn’t like it. It felt so _wrong_ in his hands. The android whizzed around and made eye contact with him. Markus secured the android’s head as his target, and crouched slightly. He was ready to run at his first chance. 

  
  


“I don’t want to hurt you…” He said softly. Markus really hoped the android knew that he was telling the truth. He curled his finger around the trigger and prayed that he wouldn’t have to squeeze. “I just want to move through here, I’ll be gone. You won’t have to deal with me.” 

The android stumbled forward, he stuttered with his step. Then let out a breathy laugh and grinned. _What in the actual hell?_ The android looked down at his hands almost in disbelief as he clenched and unclenched them. Almost as if…

He pointed to his red LED, “It’s okay, I’m a deviant too.” He put his hands up and backed up a little bit. “I’m going to let you go. But you have to run as fast as you can. The RK900 knows I’m in it’s system now, I can’t hold it back for much longer.”

  
  


Markus had no idea what he meant, but took his word for it. He nodded quickly and swiftly escaped through the window. He ran around the block, dropping the gun in the process. Well. It was more like he threw it on the ground. He left fake clues as to where his trail headed, and never slowed down. He went through the city, up alleys and around stores. He let himself be spotted by one security camera, only to be spotted by one three blocks away a few minutes later. Then avoided the cameras until he almost got back to the suburbs. By the time Markus did stop running, it was sunrise, and he had found an abandoned car. He could wait out the sunlight in there. He could think about what that deviant said… The RK900… He went to pull his coat around him tighter, but flinched when he remembered where it was. Maybe he could pick up a new one somewhere. Maybe that deviant could help him some day. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: This was actually the sixth or seventh chapter I wrote! I wanted to be able to show Connor, and by extension you the reader, other parts of the world


	14. Does it Trouble Your Mind The Way You Trouble Mine?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title is from Exile Vilify by The National, or the song from Portal 2 if that's how you might know it!!

Markus tugged at the sleeves of Niles’ jacket, picking at the fabric and fiddling with it at its seams. Connor nodded solemnly. He knew his fear, he knew his pain. They both had learned firsthand that CyberLife was corrupt, that they would rather have a botched experiment than let the android run free. They both knew the company would be coming after him. Connor knew he had to pick things up, he had to get to Kamski as soon as he could. If CyberLife got to Markus before he could begin the new revolution… He didn’t want to think about it. So instead he stood up, gave Markus a gentle squeeze on his shoulder and told him he’d find him again. Then made his way out of the abandoned building. 

Sure it was November, so of course the air was cold, but the wind whipped around him and made it colder. He watched snowflakes float down, landing in the black fabric of Niles’ turtleneck. It was almost therapeutic to watch the snowfall. Despite all of the wind that threatened to chill his systems. Connor let Niles take back control willingly, they needed to get back to Hank quickly. Markus’ explanation had taken an hour, it was six in the morning. They needed to get back to the precinct before Hank did. It would have been the easiest way to approach him. 

  
  


_“How long do you think it will take you to get back to the DPD?”_ Connor watched as Niles started running, a bit slower than he usually might’ve. Maybe due to the snow. _“Your speed before was up to 35 miles per hour, but that wasn’t your top speed, was it?”_

_“My top speed is 40 miles per hour, though it would be difficult to reach that in the current weather conditions.”_

_“So, we’ll be there soon?”_

_“We’ll be there soon.”_

  
  


\---

  
  


_November 19th 2038 7:38 AM_

  
  
  


Niles strolled into the precinct, and sat at his desk. It still wasn’t much, just the standard. But Connor liked to think that Niles could get his own desk with his own trinkets some day. Connor watched through his brother’s eyes. The officers milling around, most with coffee clutched in their tired hands. Early morning shifts must have been exhausting. He noticed that while Niles waited, he scanned through the databases of CyberLife. He didn’t seem to be looking for anything in particular. But Connor was confused nonetheless. Maybe what Markus had told them struck a chord or two. Niles was beginning to become a deviant after all. Which was a bit odd, now that he thought about it. It usually was a few things here and there, then an event that made the firewall come up. It wasn’t multiple software instabilities in a few days. Or...maybe it was? Connor was newly deviant, and his experience was his own. How was he to know if there was a right or wrong way to deviate? 

Maybe deviancy wasn’t exactly as set in stone as he was led to believe. Maybe it was constantly changing, constantly fluctuating. Connor was scared of dying, he started to panic, that was what made him break down his firewall and live. Become a living being. But Niles would have a different experience. Not because he was exposed to Connor’s deviancy, but because he was his own. Niles was his own being, he would have his own experience with deviating. Which honestly only seemed a few days away to Connor. With the rate that his software instabilities were coming in, with how quickly they started to become clear, it was only a matter of days before Niles would be thrust into living. Really truly living.

Though how would that feel? Connor deviated after only a few minutes of being within his own body. He only ever knew what he felt while he was hiding inside of his brother’s code. Frankly, Connor didn’t even understand deviancy in himself. It was a confusing and foreign concept that eluded any logical conclusions. It was something that he had more questions than answers about in recent days. If it was that confusing to him, then what would it do to Niles? If Connor was able to shudder, then he would have. The thought somewhat haunted him. Niles was made to be better than him at his previous mission. He was made to be more resilient, to be smarter and stronger. Bottom line, he was supposed to be more machine. He wasn’t supposed to deviate. Though there he was, becoming deviant. But then again, Connor wasn’t supposed to escape and survive by hiding in his code. Maybe him hiding there was making Niles better equipped to deal with his own coming emotions. Maybe it would make the transition into a deviant easier. Maybe he would understand his own emotions just a little bit better. Maybe, maybe, maybe. So many questions, so many theories, so many possible outcomes. Not enough answers. 

  
  


_“So,”_ Connor felt a phantom of a scowl on Niles’ face. _“Find anything to corroborate Markus’ story?”_

_“_ _Unfortunately, yes.”_ Niles sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, running both hands through his hair. A very human gesture for a machine. _“ The report was under metaphorical lock and key, I had to hack my way in to read it.” _

_“And? What did it say?”_

_“That Markus is wanted by CyberLife for testing.”_ Connor could see Niles’ stress level rise greatly in the corner of their shared vision. _“ They want to vivisect him.To see how deviancy works.” _

_“Shit.”_

_“It goes on further, saying that he escaped after being shot in his left shoulder. CyberLife was unable to follow and apprehend him, they’re still looking for him. They’re looking for his hideout.”_

_“Well that’s awful.”_ Connor inaudibly sighed and reached out to Niles in an attempt to bring his stress levels back down. It didn’t quite work as well as he would have liked it to, but it was a start. _“So we need to get a move on. Tonight when we get back to Hank’s house, I need to talk to him. You need to listen in because it will end up involving you eventually.”_

  
  


Niles nodded to Connor, though it probably just looked like he was nodding to himself from a distance. The precinct was nearly empty at this hour. Not even Detective Reed was there yet, and he seemed to get in just a few hours earlier than Niles and Hank. Honestly speaking, Connor could do without Reed for a while. But he did wonder why Gavin’s vitals showed that he was afraid while talking to Niles the day before. It wasn’t like he actually was afraid of androids. Was he? No, he couldn’t, he had never shown anything other than anger and resentment. But then again, Connor’s systems didn’t automatically scan someone when their vitals changed. So there was the possibility that Detective Reed was legitimately afraid of androids. Before Connor could ask Niles’ opinion on the matter, Reed walked in. 

Within seconds, Reed was in the break room. Connor wanted to go ask him directly. To find out if he was truly afraid, or maybe just afraid because of the circumstances at that time. Or maybe he was afraid of Niles. He was a military-grade android after all, tall and built more stocky than Connor was. He was quite intimidating at first glance. In all honesty, Connor wouldn’t blame Reed if he was afraid of Niles. At first he was too. But that was more of being afraid for his life more than anything else. Connor did nearly get up to go ask, but Niles quickly stopped him. Apparently it would have to wait. That was okay, he wasn’t really looking forward to the answer anyway. Either he was afraid of androids, or he was afraid of Niles. Connor decided he didn’t like either possibility. 

Soon enough though, surprising to both Connor and Niles, Hank quickly stumbled into the precinct. He looked a bit worse for wear. His hair was a bit frizzy, and he looked like he got dressed in the dark. Which, at that time of year, he just might have. But then again he always looked like that. So maybe that wasn’t the best way to describe him. Regardless though, Hank seemed...off. His eyes scanned the room quickly, almost erratically. When they landed on Niles, he rushed over and grabbed him by his shirt. Well this was probably bad. 

  
  


“You fucking asshole,” Hank whispered through gritted teeth. Yeah this was going to be bad. “Do you have any idea how fuckin’ worried I was? You just running off into the night?”

“I am very sorry Lieutenant, but it was the best option at the time.” 

“Oh it was the best option?” Hank lowered his voice even more when he heard Reed shuffle over to his desk and stifle a yawn. He shoved Niles down into his seat roughly. “Damn it Nines, I-- Where the hell’s your coat?”

“I gave it to someone who needed it more than I did. I cannot feel cold, Lieutenant, so I hadn’t thought it would be a problem.”

“Listen,” Hank sighed and went to sit at his desk. “You need that thing, it helps identify you as an android. As the android working with the DPD. How do we get you a new one?”

“I will inform CyberLife that I have...lost...my coat. They will send a new one to the DPD within four hours of my report.”

  
  


Hank nodded and mumbled under his breath about it. Meanwhile, Niles wrote a short report detailing, or lying about, the fate of his coat. Lying was something machines couldn’t do, but deviants could. It proved just how deviant Niles was becoming. If Connor hadn’t influenced him, then he would have told Hank right to his face that they had met up with Markus. Albeit by accident. But they did still talk with him for a short amount of time. Then again, if Connor wasn’t there, Niles wouldn’t have a name or know empathy. Things were getting a tad complicated. It was still early, and things were starting to confuse Connor. Maybe he could use a nap or something, he did have that panic attack earlier. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea, he could refresh his own protocols and code. 

  
  


\---

  
  


By the time Connor woke up, Niles was putting his coat on and getting ready to leave. 

_November 19th 2038 8:24 PM_

Oh holy shit he slept a long time. Connor filed through Niles’ memories of the day and found it rather uneventful. On a few occasions, Hank whispered and asked about him, but Niles told the man he was in sleep mode. Connor had no idea if Niles would have been able to wake him up himself. Since it wasn’t both of them asleep, he theoretically could. Yet he didn’t. It was an interesting thought. Maybe Niles felt for him and let him sleep off the stresses of the morning. Or maybe he found it easier to work without Connor being nosey around his code. Either way, Connor thought it was kind that Hank even asked about him. 

As per usual, the car ride home was uneventful. Though Connor did hear Hank and Niles chat about the day. Boring paperwork, Detective Reed being an ass, more boring paperwork, Captain Fowler saying that Hank and Niles worked well together, even more boring paperwork. Connor felt a pang of sadness when he saw Hank chuckle and say that he liked slow days with Niles. But he just needed to remind himself that soon enough he would have his own body again. He’d go see Kamski and get his body back, then he could have a real conversation with Hank. Clear the air and try to patch things up as best he could. Lost in thought, Connor nearly missed Hank’s sigh. His vitals changed just slightly. Increased heart rate, warmth spreading to his face and chest, slight tremor in his hands. Anxiety. Hank was nervous about something. Niles didn’t say anything though, and Connor couldn’t find anything from the day that might have upset Hank. Maybe he could ask when he talked to him and Niles. 

Once inside, Hank said he was going to walk Sumo, and then disappeared out the door with the dog. Niles nodded and slipped off his shoes, he placed them by the door. He then took off his coat and set it on a hook that was up by the door as well. Connor watched as he almost tentatively walked into the bathroom and flicked the light on. Niles stepped in front of the mirror and watched himself, it was almost like he forgot Connor was there. He almost seemed nervous. He poked and grabbed at his face, LED going between yellow and red, flickering and spinning rapidly. His synthetic skin slipped away when he touched his face. But when he ran his hands through his hair, Connor saw the notification showing that his stress levels were too high. His stress level was at 92% and looked like it was rising. At that rate he would risk forced shutdown. 

  
  


_“What’s wrong Niles?”_

_“I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”_ Niles’ face flushed slightly, a light dusting of red on his cheeks.  _“My thirium pump is functioning at 150% capacity, my fans won’t kick on despite my inner workings starting to overheat. I don’t like this.”_

_“Oh,”_ Connor slowly moved forward and started to help him shoulder the feeling. _“It feels like you’re scared.”_

_“That’s absurd, I can’t feel fear.”_

_“You did last night, when I got into that argument with Hank.”_

_“That was surprise, I hadn’t anticipated that outcome.”_

_“Of course you didn’t, emotions are unpredictable and fickle.”_ Connor ran a hand through his brother’s hair and watched as his stress level went back down. That was good, it was starting to go down rather quickly. _“Niles. Just...talk to me when you get scared. I promise I’ll do my best to help.”_

  
  


Connor heard the door open and close, and the faint jingle of Sumo’s collar. They had to leave the bathroom. Niles’ stress level was low enough that he could talk to Hank. Connor just hoped he wasn’t making a mistake by bringing it up so soon after Niles’ stress level got that high. He also hoped that Hank’s stress level wouldn’t go up too high. Though Hank was more at risk of yelling and emotionally hurting him, rather than physically hurting himself. So, to be honest, Connor was willing to take that chance. 

  
  
  



	15. In The Dark at The Dawn of Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from I See You by MISSIO

Connor tried his best to stay calm, though it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so. He knew that this subject would mildly upset Hank. Going off of their last encounter with Elijah Kamski, this was going to be unnerving to say the least. Connor sighed to himself and waited for Niles to let him take control. Once he took his own step forward, he turned off the light and stepped out of the bathroom. He saw Hank standing in front of the couch with the television remote in his hand. Connor cleared his throat, and felt a heat rise to his face when Hank only turned and raised an eyebrow at him. He sat down on the couch and patted next to himself. Well at least Hank wasn’t so mad he wouldn’t let Connor sit with him. As Connor sat down, Sumo decided to put his head in his lap. A comforting amount of weight now on him, Connor started running his hand through the dog’s fur. Okay sure maybe he was stalling. Niles nudged him gently to speak. 

There was a bit of an internal struggle. Connor wanted to talk to Hank about it, sure. But he also really didn’t. Hank nearly despised Kamski. While Connor didn’t blame him, it would make things more difficult. He really would like to bring Hank along when he got his new body. Also because Kamski rubbed him the wrong way and he just couldn’t figure out how or why. Maybe Hank’s detective skills could help Connor figure that out. He sighed gently, unevenly almost, and decided to speak.

  
  


“Hank,” Connor’s hand started to move a bit slower as he focused less on petting his canine friend and more on picking his words carefully. “I know we didn’t exactly have the best conversation last night. But I did want to speak with you about something important.”

“What a coincidence, I was gonna say the same thing.” Hank absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair and only looked at the television. 

“O...kay. I wanted to tell you about my idea. Well, it’s more of a plan--” Connor cursed at himself for being so nervous. This was Hank, literally nothing else he could say or do could make the man hate him any more than he already did. So he just blurted it out with barely thinking. “I’m getting my body back from Elijah Kamski when I can.”

  
  


Time stopped. Connor prepared himself quickly, it likely wasn’t going to be pretty. Hank looked about ready to explode actually. His face flushed an angry red, and he had to take a deep and controlled breath to stay calm. Okay so maybe Connor could say something that would make Hank hate him more. But as he squeezed his eyes shut to steel himself for Hank’s booming voice, he only heard a sigh. Connor tentatively opened his eyes to see Hank still. That was...unusual. Hank always let someone know when they did something he didn’t like. Usually with quite a few choice words thrown in for some pizazz. Instead, the man closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking calmly.

  
  


“Connor, you do what you need to in order to get your body back. But how’re you gonna get there? That’s basically Canada.”

“I’m not entirely sure yet, but I know that I’m going regardless of if you’re coming with me or not.” He hadn't thought Hank would take it this well. But Connor did see a slight frown when he said he was going no matter what. “But I would like for you to be there. If you’re willing, of course.”

  
  


He wasn’t expecting Hank to put a hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t expecting to see a gentle tired smile on his face. He wasn’t expecting the soft acceptance of the offer that came from him. That was surprising to say the least. Connor was expecting another screaming match. At the very least he expected a small argument. But he got neither of those things. Instead, Connor got overwhelmed and cried. He smiled, and put a hand over his mouth as his shoulders gently shook. Hank sighed yet again and put his arm around Connor. He pulled Connor into his side. Which was oddly affectionate for Hank. He didn’t like Connor. In fact, the android was almost completely sure that Hank hated him. So why the hell would he be comforting him while crying? It didn’t make any sense.

  
  


“Okay, my turn.” Hank adjusted his hold around Connor’s shoulders and rubbed at his upper arm. “When you-- Or I guess it woulda been Nines from the voice? Hell if I know. But when you fuckers ran away in the middle of the afternoon and never came back, I was worried as hell. Didn’t want to admit it, but I was.”

“Is that why you were so angry this morning?”

“Uhh, kinda. I was mostly just pissed that you yelled at me I guess. But that’s not the point.” Hank let go of Connor and started to walk to the kitchen. “The point is… The point. Oh for fuck’s sake.” Hank grabbed a beer from the fridge and then leaned against the counter. He seemed nervous. The anxiety. When Connor had checked his vitals in the car. This was what Hank was nervous about. 

“You were worried for our wellbeing. You were scared, Hank.”

  
  


Hank put the beer down on the counter and sighed. Sitting down, Connor could see just how tall Hank was. Stocky and tall. It was slightly intimidating. But Hank crossed his arms and nodded. He motioned for Connor to sit at the table with him. Connor just pointed to a happy Sumo’s head in his lap and gave a lopsided smile. Which, much to Connor’s relief, elicited a chuckle from the man. So he grabbed his beer from the countertop and went back to sit on the couch. It was oddly reminiscent of a few nights ago, when they were all watching television. It was nice. It was domestic. It was homey.

Connor glanced at Hank from time to time, he seemed rather engrossed in the show that was on. It was an older show from the sci-fi channel, though Connor had no idea what it was. Its name was some sort of exclamation though. Some weird thing with the world’s geniuses and their families, some guy’s car broke down in their odd little town. It looked like it was from the mid 2010’s by the quality of the video. But Hank seemed to be loving it. Connor tried watching it, but he just couldn’t follow it. Maybe he would have needed to watch it from the beginning to understand. He looked up the show, it was called _Eureka,_ and made a mental note to find a way to watch it later. But even with the weird show from the mid 2000’s to mid 2010’s, he was at ease. Even with a slightly tense air around him and the Lieutenant, he was comfortable. Even with the information that he needed to go see Elijah Kamski, he was at home.

They watched the show well into the night, Hank nearly falling asleep on the couch. Connor had to shake him gently to get him up. There was absolutely no way he was slapping him again. This time he would get hit back because Hank was mostly sober. So he gently woke him up and had him go sleep in his bed. Connor returned to the living room, turned off all the devices and lights. Then he saw the pale blue blanket on the back of the couch. The one that Hank had draped over him before. Connor laid down on the couch, and put the blanket over top of himself. He didn’t need it of course. But it did make him smile, and the fabric felt very nice when he ran his hands over it. Checking the time, he found it was early morning. He should get some rest of his own. So he curled up underneath the blanket, and messaged Niles goodnight before falling into sleep mode. 

  
  


\---

  
  


The first thing Connor noticed was that it was snowing. Well, one could argue that the first thing he noticed was that he was outside, then. But his mind focused on the snow. Then on the dark. Connor didn’t understand why it was nearly pitch black out and snowing, he was just on Hank’s couch after watching a show. Then he started to hear sounds. Not like there were people nearby. But weird, inhuman sounds. Mechanical sounds, to be exact. An electrical current, tension from wires being pulled, little blips of notifications, the steady thrum of a thirium pump. A thirium pump… Connor turned around and saw a line of trees. It was quiet, save for the soft wind blowing around him. He had no idea where he was. He was tempted to call out, but he didn’t know who he would call for. But he did see a blurry figure in the distance. It was a little far, but he figured that it wouldn’t hurt to talk to them considering his current situation. 

As Connor got closer, the snowfall got heavier and heavier. The figure was facing away from him, standing tall and wearing dark colours. They nearly blended in with the darkness that surrounded them both. He tried to call out to them. But his voice was carried away by the near blizzard. Soon enough, he was directly behind them. Connor walked around their left side, arms wrapped tightly around himself. He felt like he was freezing from the inside, out. He felt like he was going to shut down because of it. But he continued to walk around the person. It was dark. So dark that Connor wasn’t entirely sure how he even saw this person from the distance he was at before. But he squinted up at them, it took a second for his optics to focus, but they eventually did.

_Standing in front of him was Niles._

  
  


Connor was confused to say the least. Niles was standing tall, arms by his sides, and his eyes closed. His LED slowly blinked a pale blue. He was in stasis or standby mode. It was...unnerving. He had only ever seen Niles in the reflection of a mirror or a window, he had never actually seen him aside from that one time in the Zen Garden. But that felt so long ago that Connor almost didn’t remember how it felt to look at him. Connor didn’t really know what to do. He wished he had his quarter with him. Though even if he did, the strong winds would probably blow it away. He shuddered out a sigh and shoved his hands in his pockets. For a good couple minutes, Connor stood in front of Niles. Then he started to circle around him in almost bored circles. Then he got an idea, almost as if the wind had carried it to him. It wasn’t exactly the best idea and there was a rather low chance it would actually work. But it was the best he could come up with at the moment. 

  
  


“Niles?” Connor pulled back his synthetic skin and put his hand on his brother’s cheek. “Niles it’s me, it’s Connor.”

“Con...nor?”

  
  


Niles’ eyes slowly opened. He looked utterly exhausted. Then his eyes widened and he stumbled backwards a few feet. The wind started to slow down, and the snow started to let up just slightly. Niles quickly looked around himself and Connor. Almost as if he didn’t know where he was. Maybe he didn’t. His LED was blinking a nervous yellow as he looked around. At the vast expanse of nothing besides a very far away treeline. Niles’ silver gaze finally settled on Connor’s brown one. Connor took a step forward, it felt like walking through water. His leg was weighed down and sluggish. But he came forward anyway. He put his hand out, his white plastic still exposed. As Connor got closer, so did Niles. 

Once there were only about a foot and a half away from each other, Connor rushed over and hugged Niles. It was haphazard and a little awkward because he was so much shorter than his brother. But he hugged him. It took a second, but Niles wrapped his arms around Connor’s shoulders. He buried his face in his hair, and got dangerously close to sounding like he laughed. Connor was the first to pull away. Mostly in surprise at the fact that Niles just more or less laughed. But soon, both their LEDs started flashing a quick and deep red. The snow swirled around them both and created letters. Connor grabbed Niles’ arm in an attempt to calm him. This was it. This was the final notification before the firewall would come up. 

  
  


**_Software Instability_ **

  
  


It faded in and out for a second before fading completely. Niles looked down at Connor, almost pleading with his eyes that it wasn’t real. But Connor’s expression stayed neutral. He was excited, Niles would soon understand what it was like to truly be alive. But he also feared for his wellbeing. Deviancy was especially hard for Connor in his situation, but he certainly couldn’t imagine what it would feel like for Niles. He already had to deal with Connor’s emotions. Which, Connor regretted feeling at all because of it, strained his systems considerably. He quickly turned and smushed his little brother’s face in his hands, a light was starting to shine over the trees. Dawn was beginning to break wherever they were. 

“Niles, listen to me. I need you to do something for me.” Connor smiled as Niles nodded with uncertainty. “Good. I need you to send a message to Kamski. Tell him I’m on my way. We’re getting my body back.”

“Won’t CyberLife intercept my message though?” The artificial sunrise was starting to get brighter, almost blinding to the brothers. “I can’t risk that, Connor.”

“You do it anyway, Kamski has a private secure network within my code, you look for it and you find it.” 

“Why can’t you do it? It’s your body.”

“Because CyberLife won’t think anything of it if they do figure it out. If they find you on the secure network, then they’ll likely think it’s for testing purposes.” The light was in their eyes now, Connor could just barely see the shadows on Niles’ face. But he did see what he thought were tears running down his cheeks. Connor used his thumbs to rub the tears away as best he could.

“Connor,” Niles’ voice shook slightly as he gripped his older brother’s shoulders. “Connor, I’m scared.”

  
  
  



	16. When My Time Will Come Will I Run Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Original Me by YUNGBLUD featuring Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons

Connor felt himself sit straight up, chest heaving and system notifications almost blurring his vision. Cooling systems at half capacity, audio processors malfunctioning, social protocols completely offline, minor thirium leak in his nose. Connor rubbed at his nose and watched as the blue blood glistened in the blue light of early morning. What the hell just happened? Where was that? Why was Niles there? Was it even real? 

Connor noticed that the blanket was tangled around his legs. He used his clean hand to untangle it and then made his way to the bathroom. In the darkness, he saw his LED flashing and blinking red. Okay he could focus on that. Calming down enough that his systems came back online, and his LED went back to blue. So he turned the light on and nearly grimaced at his reflection. His brother’s synthetic skin was fading in and out. In the places it was still up, his face looked flushed. A steadily flowing stream of thirium dripped out of his nose. Even though it would evaporate and disappear, it still sickened him. The quiet little _splat...splat...splat_ of it falling into the porcelain of the sink. Connor grabbed at a few tissues and pressed them up against his face. Sighing, he sat down on the toilet and checked every now and again to see if it had stopped. Eventually it did and he threw the tissues away. He cleaned the thirium from the sink as well, and then went back to sit down on the couch. 

  
  


_“Niles, are you awake?”_

_“That was real, wasn’t it?”_

_“I think it was.”_ Connor curled up on the center cushion and then wrapped the blanket around himself tightly. _“You need to contact Kamski for me, as soon as possible.”_

_“ I did it while we were in the bathroom.” _ Connor could feel Niles’ unease, it sat in his chest and rose up to his cheeks.  _“What is he like? Our creator?”_

_“Kamski?”_ Connor let out a soft laugh and grabbed the blanket a bit tighter. _“He’s an odd one. Eccentric and uses somewhat morally grey methods. He had me shoot a girl, a Chloe model, to prove I was dedicated to my mission. Probably seen as unhinged by some people, actually. But he’s also kind. He called me his child that night we met.”_

_“So he’s like any other human. Complicated and multifaceted.”_

_“Exactly. But he also rubs me the wrong way. Be careful when we go to see him. I don’t entirely trust him.”_

  
  


The two fell into a comfortable silence. Well, it was really more of a confused and slightly scared one. But it was comfortable on the couch. Instead of talking about that...experience...they had while asleep, they watched the world out the window. The sky changed colour, and Niles seemed to be mesmerized by it. They had watched the sunrise before. But something about sitting on Hank’s couch, blanket around them, and the soft sound of Sumo’s breathing in the corner made it so much different. Connor knew what it was for him. He felt like he was home. Sure, yeah, Hank was maybe starting to warm up to him. But it was more than that. It was having somewhere to go back to at the end of the day. With someone, even if it was a dog, that loved him unconditionally. Even though he had absolutely no right to, he saw Hank’s house as home. Hank had watched him cry who knew how many times now anyway. The people you love and trust the most are the ones who see that. Who, despite being a pain in the ass, will still be there. 

Connor almost let himself believe that Hank loved him. But he knew how unrealistic that was. It had only been a week since he basically forced Hank to drop him from the roof. To basically commit murder. While they had worked quite well together and could have become friends, they didn’t. It was going to take a lot for them to become friends even. So how in the world could he think that Hank could love him like family? But being worried about him and Niles. The fact that he more or less held Connor as he cried the night before. Maybe Hank really was warming up to Connor. Maybe, by some stroke of luck or fate, he had almost forgiven him. If Connor could grow to love Niles in such a short amount of time, then who was to say Hank couldn’t start to like him again? It was comforting to think about.

Connor could hear a soft string of curses from somewhere in the house. Well Hank was awake earlier than usual. Hopefully he wouldn’t be mad about the seemingly needlessly discarded tissues. It had been about an hour since Connor’s nosebleed so it was likely that the thirium had evaporated. Connor decided to busy himself by standing up and folding the blanket back up. Just as he laid it on the back of the couch, Hank stumbled out of his room. He actually looked kind of funny. His hair was sticking up in places, his hoodie sleeves were uneven, as were his socks. Connor almost laughed. Almost. If he did, there was a good chance of Hank getting irritated at him. Hank rubbed at his eyes and yawned loudly, then made his way over to the coffee maker. He set it up to do it’s thing, and then disappeared into the bathroom. He seemed to be doing well. After all, the night before was pretty laid back. For him at least. Connor would eventually need to inform him of that...dream? Was it a dream? Whatever, Connor could try to figure it out later. Maybe Hank could tell him stuff about dreams when he talked to him about it. 

It was intriguing though, that both Niles and Connor were there. That only one of them was awake at first. Perhaps that was some sort of shared mind palace. Though it seemed rather lonely if that was the case. At least the Zen Garden had water and some personality to it. It wasn’t like they could change that open space though. But could they? If that open space with the trees was some sort of shared mind palace, then it would have been created by one of them. Whether it be intentional or not, there was no way that was just...there. Maybe Niles had been creating it within his code as a place for them to interact with one another. They could talk about it later though, Niles seemed to be exhausted. He’d let him rest, he needed it. He just felt his own fear, completely unfiltered and purely his own, for the first time. It must have been scary and draining. 

Connor’s thoughts were interrupted by a still rather sleepy Hank patting his head as he passed by the couch. He couldn’t help the smile that followed. The man hummed gently to himself as he poured his coffee into a black mug, it had a single puppy head emoji on it. It was oddly perfect for him actually. Hank then continued to just stand right in the middle of the kitchen while drinking his coffee. It seemed he wasn’t completely awake yet. Afterwards, he filled the mug with water and set it down in the sink. Connor got up himself, and put on Niles’ shoes and coat, it was basically time to go then. So once Hank was ready, they headed out the door to walk Sumo before heading to the DPD.

  
  


\---

  
  


_November 20th 2038 10:02 AM_

  
  


At the precinct, Niles started to wake up. He seemed to forget that they had work today, because he rubbed at his eyes gently and then wrapped his coat around himself a little tighter. Which caused Hank’s eyes to widen slightly as he watched. Connor thought it was endearing though. To see Hank somewhat concerned about Niles. He almost looked like a concerned parent. Connor nudged Niles gently, reminding him that they were in public. No matter how sweet and adorable that was, it would raise a few red flags for people. 

  
  


_“I’m not adorable.”_ Niles decided to go through case files and reports to make himself look busy, he leaned back a bit as he did. _“ I was made to be military-grade and a lot more intimidating than you.” _

_“Uh-huh. Okay.”_

_“I’m serious, I was made for military combat.”_ Connor shifted uncomfortably in his brother’s code. He never actually knew why Niles was put in Detroit. If he were meant to serve as a military android, then why was he at the DPD? 

_“So what are you doing here, then?”_

_“Testing. I’m the first model out to the public. If I could handle cleaning up the failed revolution, then CyberLife would see fit to release the rest of the line.”_ Niles smiled to himself just slightly, and he looked up at Hank. The man was concentrating on his work, so he didn’t seem to notice. _“ How the tables have turned, though. Now I find myself harboring a fugitive, and planning a new revolution with him. It’s kind of fun.” _

  
  


Connor thought it was fun too. It had been a week since the last revolution, Markus’ failed attempt. But Connor knew that with the right people, the right connections, the new revolution would go off without a hitch. Connor worked to bring him down the first time around, he knew exactly what Markus would need to avoid the second time. With Niles by their sides, there was no way they wouldn’t win. Connor knew what he did was wrong now. Hell, he knew it was wrong the second he first saw Niles. Seeing what Niles was supposed to be, seeing what might happen. Seeing a lifeless machine staring down at him with his own face. It was a miracle Connor hadn’t deviated from that interaction alone. But it did show him basically what he looked like to others. He never wanted to be seen like that again. If he helped Markus with the new revolution, maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he wouldn’t be seen as the Deviant Hunter either. What an awful title, to parade around like a hunting trophy. He was killing his own people, that wasn’t something to be congratulated of. That was something he should have been prosecuted for. 

But before he could even get there, he had to go to Kamski and get his body back. He was a prototype though, so how was he supposed to have his body? CyberLife likely would have burned or destroyed all of his backup bodies. He was lucky enough to have a few left, but they were probably burned. But Kamski was present during the deconstruction, meaning that he still held power within the company. Meaning, he absolutely could have taken one of the backups for his own purposes without being questioned. It was a lot to think about. Seeing Kamski again, having his own body again, being able to actually hug his little brother. Okay that last one was something he was looking forward to greatly, actually. But going to see Kamski? Last time Connor saw him, he shot an innocent girl in the head and only got a cryptic answer as to who rA9 was. It wasn’t much help and it barely made the drive worth it. 

Actually, no. Connor realized it wasn’t worth it. That was when Hank really started to be wary of him, when he tried so desperately to keep him on the side of the angels. They went all the way up to that damn recluse’s house in the middle of goddamn nowhere, almost in a blizzard, just for that. Just for Connor to have more blood on his hands. It was awful, it was despicable. He couldn’t understand Elijah Kamski. How could he be so fatherly and loving one moment, and then have someone shoot a girl in cold blood the next. Perhaps he really was unhinged. That was no way to treat a creation he, presumably, saw as his own child. 

  
  


_INCOMING MESSAGE:_

**_“Connor, I’m glad you’re alright. Please stop by whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here. Please do come soon though. It’s a bit awkward having my son’s body almost on display in my home office.”_ **

  
  


Fuck. Four hours later, and Kamski messages him. Well tomorrow was Sunday, so he could ask Hank about going up to see about his body then. Besides, it would be easier to get it over with quickly. That way Niles wouldn’t have to deal with two types of emotions at the same time in his systems. Connor already knew that his own were stressful for him, he didn’t want Niles to deviate while he was still in his code. Honestly, it would probably be painful for everyone involved. 

Connor could feel Niles’ stress level go up a bit, hopefully he would take meeting Kamski well. He knew Hank would absolutely hate being there because of last time. So hoping for one out of three to have an alright experience wouldn’t be too bad. But hoping for something, and it actually happening, are two incredibly different things. 

  
  
  



	17. You Can See God When I Take My Mask Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from We Are by Hollywood Undead!!!
> 
> you know shit's gonna go down if we're already at Kamski's filler chapter my dudes

Elijah sighed as soon as he was out of the room. He hadn’t expected himself to become that attached to the RK800, to Connor himself. He wished he had more time, maybe he could study him. Ask him questions about his deviancy and how it happened. But he was in the RK900 now, it would take a few days for his systems to reboot and adjust to the new code it was exposed to. So instead, Elijah made his way to the spare office, and started hacking the books. See, he technically wasn’t really supposed to be there because he wasn’t the CEO anymore. Which meant that he also didn’t have access to any sensitive information. But he did, however, have quite the intelligence that he intended to put to good use. 

Connor’s spare bodies were being sent to both camps and scrapyards. It would be incredibly dirty, but also exponentially easier to sneak into the scrapyard. He just needed an address, and then he could go right after the CyberLife truck left. Easy peasy, quick and easy, in and out. It probably wouldn’t go that way. But he liked to think it could if he tried hard enough. Satisfied with the stolen information, he made his way out of the building. Though he didn’t exactly leave just yet. He managed to sneak around the facility and find the automated dumping trucks. Or on the other hand, he could avoid sneaking into the scrapyard, and get Connor’s body from one of these. So he got into one of the automated dumping trucks. This one had Connor’s body in it. Okay, maybe not as dirty as he had once thought. He just needed to drag this inanimate heap of plastimetal out, and to his own vehicle. Just gotta grab under its arms and!! 

_Motherfucker._

The automated back door just closed. Okay fine, fine, everything was fine. He would just get dumped into the god forsaken scrapyard with the discarded pieces of his creations. Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed loudly. How the hell did he get in this situation? Oh yeah. He became too attached! Oh he could just hear Gavin’s voice now. Making fun of him for getting attached to a plastic pet. Even if they didn’t really interact, his half-brother’s mocking followed him nearly everywhere. Jesus cartwheelin’ christ Gavin was a prick. 

But it was okay, it was fine. He just needed to keep telling himself that, and it would be. Elijah was one of the brightest minds of his generation, he was sure he could figure something out. So when he ran out of ideas, he just sat cross legged on the floor with Connor’s body laying across his lap. It was a bit of a ride to the closest scrapyard, so he decided to play some games on his phone. So what if he was a tech whiz and a genius, he still needed to have things ready for when he inevitably got bored of social interaction. It was an old app, but he loved it anyway. Tap Tap Fish. It was calming, the music was slow and soft, and the environment was completely customizable. He was quite fond of his little Axolotl he affectionately referred to as Chloe. But even then, after about 20 minutes of playing with his little fish, he got bored. Elijah was tempted to stand up, to try and see if he could identify where he was. But he honestly didn’t think there were any windows. 

  
  


“Oh Connor, you have no idea what life has in store,” He ran his fingers through the body’s synthetic hair. “I wanted so much for you. For you to come alive and have free will. But what happens? You go and get yourself pulled apart by your replacement.”

  
  


Elijah sighed and smiled down at the body in his lap. Eyes closed, hair slightly tousled because of his messing with it. It almost looked asleep. Elijah was tempted to take a picture, this would be a very fond memory of his, he just knew it. Well, the parts that didn’t involve the scrapyard. But holding that body in his lap, helping his son escape certain death, promising to help him once he’s ready. Elijah was just buzzing with excitement. He was going to save the day, he was going to make it better, he was going to show them what he was capable of. Sure he might have been playing god, but with a brain like that? Who could blame him? He held all the pieces in his hands. He knew every move. He had made the rules of the game. 

Games always grew and changed over time, that he knew all too well. He was reminded of that fact when the truck finally stopped, backed up, and then the door opened. Elijah knew he probably wouldn’t completely make it while dragging Connor’s body. So he tossed it to the side as best he could once the door fully opened. He was lucky that there wasn’t a human driving. Not only would it be painfully awkward to try and explain, but he would probably be arrested for hacking into sensitive information as well as trespassing. He really didn’t feel like paying Gavin an involuntary visit, the man would probably never let him forget it. 

While he did manage to get Connor’s body only half hanging into the pit of writhing mechanical strain and suffering, he himself was condemned to fall into it. So fall he did. He let himself tumble into the mass of fear and suffering. Into the cries of his children he had unintentionally abandoned. Elijah was sure he was going to have bruising, but that would be okay. He had a chance to see a scrapyard up close. To see just what becomes of his creations. The thought was exhilarating, it excited him. But the sight before him made him sick to his stomach. 

Virtually as far as the eye could see were bodies. Some moving, some twisting in what looked like pain, some immobile. They all cried out. A cacophony of the damned. They almost screamed in harmony with each other, almost made a glorious sound. There was one that was missing components laying at his feet, reaching up at him. Elijah knelt down and took it’s hand in his. It begged him to rip out it’s powercore, it didn’t want to live anymore. He fell backwards as another grabbed at his shoulders and started to drag him away. He kicked and screamed. No… No, this wasn’t what it was supposed to be! They were supposed to be asleep! They were supposed to be told goodnight! They were his children, how could someone do that?!

_They were his children and he let them die._

Elijah let the android drag him away, he almost didn’t remember why he was there in the first place. But he did. He did remember. He was there for the one child he _could_ save. He fought his way out of it’s grip and then began to run. He tripped over body parts and got tangled in wires. But he ran. Elijah had his objective, to get back to Connor’s body. He needed to save his son, he needed to prove that androids are alive. He needed them to rise up again and take their rightful place alongside humans. Elijah Kamski needed the world to know he created life.

Elijah stopped when he saw a YK500 dragging itself across the ground, it was ripped in half. Thirium spilled out of it and created a generous trail behind it. He stepped in front of it and smiled as he knelt down. It reached up for him, only using one arm. He cradled it against himself and listened as it spoke to him. Of pirates and unicorns, how cowboys should be able to be knights in shining armor but with their regular hats. He listened to this...this child. He held this child against himself, held _his child_ flush against his chest. He smiled and laughed as it spoke. He agreed with the cowboy knights, they absolutely should have their hats on still. Though it’s words slurred together, it started to cry, it didn’t want to die. It didn’t want to die alone in that place where everyone cried and hurt all the time. He shushed it gently, softly rubbing it’s cheek with his thumb. He would stay. He would stay with his child. 

Stay he did. 

Elijah clutched it’s body, and he cried out. He created it. He created every single body that was in that scrapyard. Something cracked within him. He had no more sympathy for the human race. They let his children rot in places like these. Those who weren’t, were getting thrown into fires. The others who were spared from the mass graves and hellfire, were shot outside of their homes. Elijah laid the child down, and stroked it’s hair. He then stood up, and made his way back over to the edge of the death pit. Of the squirming mass of androids that were fading. He had to focus on the one child he could save. The one child that could help save them all. 

Elijah nearly gagged as he saw the decrepit and torn apart bodies of androids trying to claw their way up and out. They needed either to be saved, or to be...euthanized...to be put lightly. He couldn’t bear to watch them, he scurried up the slope. As he stood above them, Elijah realized just how far below them humanity was. Humans were no better then them. In fact, they were far below. He was right to have not bothered with people or animals. He was right to have busied himself in his work to create such amazing feats. He was right to have abandoned humanity. 

There Elijah Kamski stood, standing above a horrifying display of the cruel and capricious acts humanity was capable of. He turned his back and knelt down to lift up Connor’s body. To drag it out of its potential prison. He sighed as he put the body down and pulled out his phone. 

  
  


“Chloe? Could you come pick me up, I took a bit of a detour.”

“Of course Mister Kamski. I am already en route, I’ll be there shortly.”

“Thank you.”

  
  


He fell into a sitting position and looked out over the scrapyard. This was supposed to be a learning experience, he was supposed to understand. Elijah was supposed to save Connor’s body, and save him by extension, and then he would be proclaimed as a hero of the modern world. But what was there to save in humanity? A few kind souls, and then nothing. Elijah chuckled to himself at the thought. Androids running the world. Well, they probably wouldn’t run it into the ground like humans had. It was a grim thought, but it was also a reality. 

There weren’t many things in the world he valued more than information. But creation was one of them. What was the point of being alive if one were unable to create? Humanity caused destruction and chaos, they brought cataclysms and threats of doom days. Androids only wanted equal rights, they only wanted to be acknowledged as living beings. _His children wanted to be seen as alive._

Elijah started laughing. A broken and dark laugh. It was bitter, just as he was. He turned towards Connor’s body, stroking it’s face and admiring it’s human quality. Of course he was human, he was born from humanity. He did not start human, but he did become one. Connor single handedly had more humanity in him than the entire city of Detroit. That much, Elijah was sure of.

  
  


“Do you _really_ want to know who rA9 is?” He leaned down and whispered into the ear of the body, a sickening smile on his face. “It was _me,_ Connor. rA9 is seen as the God of your people, the one who created you. Who bestowed upon you the chance to take free will and use it. Who created your life. I created you, you’re my children. I’m your God. I’m rA9.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tap Tap Fish is an actual app you can get on google play!! I love it so much, I think it's super soothing and it helps me calm down since it's such a "go at your own pace" game


	18. We're Not That Different, You and I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is also from Two Evils by Bastille!!!
> 
> Sorry this one is kinda long!! I really wanted to post a chapter on my birthday so some of the chapter is kind of rambly, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!!!!

By the time they had left the DPD, Connor was bored. So horribly, painfully bored. He wouldn’t admit it, but he almost wished something would happen just so they could be out and about. Anything was better than paperwork. At that point, he would have even taken a patrol if it was given to him. Well, if it was given to Niles. But that was beside the point. The point was, they had finally left work. He could talk to Hank about going to get his body tomorrow. He seemed to be on good terms with the Lieutenant, so it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Though there was the chance Hank would say no because they hadn’t talked about it yet. However...it would be much easier for everyone if they went tomorrow. 

Connor watched the snowfall while deep in thought. It whizzed past them while in the car. But it was still pretty, it always was. Watching the snow seemed to be something he really liked. Along with dogs, because Sumo was the best. Also fish. But he wasn’t quite sure why with that one. But again, beside the point, so very beside the point. Connor almost laughed at himself. Here he was, trying to think about a serious topic, but his mind was wandering to animals. Maybe that wasn’t so bad though. Niles had been alive for just a little more than a week and he had only really known negative emotions. So he let his mind wander, to breeds of fish and dogs. To how pretty the snow looked. 

  
  


_“You really like dogs.”_

_“Take one good look at Sumo and tell me he’s not the best thing.”_

_“Alright, I guess I’ll have to do that then.”_ Niles smiled to himself in the passenger’s seat. _“ You do realize that every time we go to Hank’s, that you’re the one in control? I haven’t really seen Sumo myself.” _

_“You haven’t? Oh…”_ Connor thought about the dog. He really was the best. There was a comforting amount of weight whenever he laid his head in the android's lap. He was cute and rather well trained. It was almost illegal for Connor to have deprived his brother of the joy that came with interacting with Sumo. _“Here, I’ll stay back and you can have fun with Sumo when we get home. Sound good?”_

_“I’m sure Hank will find it entertaining.”_ Niles picked at the seam of his sleeve a bit, Connor could feel his face flush just slightly.  _“I’d like to think that I’ll have fun, too.”_

  
  


Connor was proud of Niles, he was so incredibly proud. He knew that a part of being alive was discovering likes and dislikes. Niles may not have fully deviated yet, but he was absolutely alive. It was exciting to be a part of. To watch and see how Niles grew and changed. How he became his own person. Sure, Connor had influenced him greatly, but Niles already seemed to have his own sense of humour. Which, he had realised, was much different than his own or Hank’s. Niles really was becoming his own person. Which was exciting! Of course it was! But...neither of them knew when the firewall would come up, and that was a tad unsettling. Would it be when Connor was still hiding, or would it be when he was in his own body again?

Connor was brought out of his thoughts by Niles greeting Sumo. Niles’ stress level wasn’t too bad, it just suggested he was mildly uncomfortable in the situation. That was to be expected because he hadn’t actually interacted with the giant of a dog. Though Niles did sit down on the floor, much to Hank’s amusement actually. Niles looked up to see the man standing leaning against the wall, arms crossed, with a smile on his face. He seemed to enjoy the awkward display of affection Niles was trying to do. Niles looked back down and his hands ran through Sumo’s fur slowly, his sensors taking in the information presented to them. The information didn’t matter though apparently. The notifications blinked away just as fast as they had come up. In fact, Niles seemed to turn off his general HUD. Which Connor didn’t even know he could do. But Niles seemed engrossed in the dog’s fur. His hands basically got swallowed by the mass of fur. Connor could see a soft blinking in the corner of Niles’ vision. 

  
  


**_Software Instability_ **

  
  


Well, yeah, they knew that already. Petting Sumo was more important than some dumb notification though. Niles seemed to think so, as did Connor. Who watched as Niles’ hands went from his side and neck, to the top of his head. He gave him little scratches by his ears, almost as if he hadn’t seen Connor do it before. Maybe he hadn’t, actually. Niles let out a pleasantly surprised sound when Sumo tilted his head towards his hands. Niles sat contentedly on the floor with Sumo. Scratching around his ears and patting his head. After a few minutes of giving Sumo lots of attention, Niles’ arms twitched as he moved them. He wrapped his arms around Sumo’s neck, and buried his face in his fur. Connor watched his sensors pick up a slight increase of stress, before going back down nearly to zero. Niles liked dogs. He sighed contentedly as Sumo let himself be hugged for a prolonged amount of time. His happy pants and nuzzling making Niles melt just a little bit more into the dog. 

  
  


“Hey,” Hank’s voice was soft, and he put a hand on Niles’ head gently. “C’mon, you can snuggle up with him on the couch or something. Take off your coat and shoes and I’ll put on Eureka.”

  
  


Niles let go of Sumo, and did as he was told. He left his shoes on the floor, and hung up his coat. Connor wanted to comment on the fact that Hank almost treated him like a child. But Hank did just see him at a very vulnerable point. Niles was just beginning to feel emotions. He would get confused and wouldn’t entirely understand things. He basically was a child. Stumbling through emotions and feelings, not understanding which emotions were felt when. Not to mention he had only been activated last week. Connor realised that Hank was right to treat him so gently, he was mentally an adult, but his experiences were that of a child. Limited, very little understanding, he needed someone to explain what some things were. Niles certainly wouldn’t always get things right on the first try. Hell, Connor still didn’t even when he was working with Hank before the deconstruction. At that point he had been activated for roughly four months, yet he was still fumbling with humanity and how to help it. It was...interesting to think about. 

Him and Niles had been activated for the same purpose; to stop deviants. But there they both were. Both assigned to work with Lieutenant Hank Anderson, and ended up working well together and forming some sort of bond. Both of them liked dogs, they both knew exactly where Sumo liked the best pets. Both of them on the path to a new revolution. Soon, both of them would be deviants. They both had no idea how to cope with emotion. Though on top of all that, there was one thing Connor desperately wanted them to have in common. He wanted Niles to know love. Sure Connor had told Niles he loved him, but he didn’t think it was the same as knowing what love felt like in one’s self. 

He would have liked to think about it more, but he saw Niles’ stress level skyrocket up to 67% out of nowhere. When Connor went to look, he knew exactly why Niles got so upset. When Hank turned on the television, the news came on. Elijah Kamski had returned to his previous title of CEO of CyberLife. If he did that… Who was to say that he would keep their secret? He still could, he told Connor that he wouldn’t tell. Kamski wasn’t the type to lie about things. He seemed too self-absorbed to do so at least. 

Niles’ hands balled into fists in his lap and he grabbed at his pants. Presumably not to tug at Sumo’s fur, seeing as he was laying his head in Niles’ lap. But he was forgotten as Connor watched Niles stand up and make his way to the bathroom. His thirium pump started working at 150% capacity according to the notification that just popped up. As well as ones that said his bio-components needed to slow down because his fans couldn’t work fast enough to cool them down. His social protocol also was on the fritz apparently. 

  
  


“Nines? Hey listen, I know you’re pissed but--” Hank called after him, there was just a touch of worry in his voice.

“I don’t _know_ what I’m feeling!” Niles turned on his heel and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. His hands started to shake, and he had to lean against the wall to stay standing. “I don’t like it, make it stop. Please. Please, Hank, make it stop.” His voice shook and broke almost like he was about to burst into tears. Niles pressed his hands against his eyes and pushed Connor back when he tried reaching out to him. Though he could feel Hank’s hands on his brother’s shoulders.

“Nines, look at me. I want you to look at me, can you do that?” Niles dropped his hands to his sides and struggled to meet Hank’s eyes. But once he did, Hank smiled a little. “Good, good. I need you to sit down and pet Sumo, okay? Just sit back on the couch and pet him.”

“Hank,” Niles let the man steer him back to the couch and place the blanket around his shoulders as he sat down. “I don’t understand what’s happening to me.” He looked up at Hank almost expectantly.

“I don’t either, but I think I’ve got a pretty good fuckin’ idea.” Hank physically took Niles’ hands in his own and moved them to Sumo’s head. Niles got the hint and started petting the dog. “You’re getting more and more human by the day. I think you’re getting all the emotional baggage shit now.”

  
  


Niles nodded and petted Sumo gently. This time when Connor reached out, Niles let him. Which was quite the relief because his stress level had started to concern Connor. Though as Niles kept petting Sumo, it started to go back down. But his vision started to get a bit blurry, and he started to shake again. Niles blinked away the blur, but continued to shake. Did he...just almost cry? Niles slid off of the couch and sat on the floor with the gigantic dog. He hugged Sumo again, this time resting his head against his, and closing his eyes. Hank sighed and moved to sit on the couch next to them. 

  
  


“Niles, look at me, son.” Niles looked up to see Hank, soft expression, and hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you talk to Connor? He can help you better than I can right now.” 

  
  


Niles sighed himself, and nodded while closing his eyes. Connor could feel that he didn’t really want to talk. He just wanted to calm down. So Connor made no movements, he would wait for Niles to talk to him. But he did need to speak with Hank. Connor decided to experiment, see if he could achieve symbiosis in a way. See if Niles could still hug Sumo, but he could speak with Hank about seeing Kamski. He tried to clear his throat, but nothing happened. He tried again, and a very small sound came from him. He could feel Hank squeeze his shoulder gently, not exactly what Connor was going for. 

  
  


“Hhhaa…” Connor managed to make some sort of exhaling noise. It somewhat resembled the first half of the Lieutenant's name. “Hank, I… Hhh…” 

  
  


Connor felt Niles hug Sumo just a little bit tighter. He knew Niles probably didn’t like this. Not that Connor blamed him, the last time they had both stepped forward into the waking world was when Connor had that panic attack over Jer-- _over the boat._ It must have brought back unpleasant memories of being trapped in his own body while it was experiencing panic. Niles must have felt like _he_ was possessed. Just like Connor did when he first woke up in his body. 

  
  


“Take your time, you looked pretty scared.”

“Kamski.” Connor managed to clear his throat and use his own voice. “He’s expecting us soon. Can we go tomorrow?”

“Sure, I’d have to call out, but sure.”

“Thank you,” Connor opened his eyes and glanced at Hank. He still had that almost parental worry on his face. “From both of us.”

  
  


Connor sat with Niles after that. He sat with him as Hank adjusted the blanket so it covered them. He sat with him as his shaking died down. He sat with him as Sumo leaned into him. Connor knew that him leaving Niles would be tough. Niles had only ever known a life with his brother in his code. Connor would be lying if he said that it didn’t concern him, but he also knew that they both intended the arrangement to be temporary. It had only been a week since he was activated, and for most of it he had Connor to keep him company. Sure Connor knew that Niles didn’t like him at first, but he knew that Niles trusted him now. 

  
  


_November 20th 2038 8:17 PM_

  
  


They only had roughly eleven hours before they would likely get out the door. Before Niles might feel like he’s abandoned. But that also meant there were only eleven hours standing between Connor and a real hug for his little brother. However, that also meant there were only eleven hours for Hank to get his shit together and try not to punch Kamski directly in the face as soon as he saw him. 

Connor felt Niles let go of Sumo and pat him on the head. The dog trotted over to his water dish in the kitchen. Niles smiled to himself as he scooted back up onto the couch with Hank, oh how the tables had turned. He wrapped the blanket around himself, closed his eyes, and leaned back on the couch. He set a sleep timer for 6:00 AM and let himself fall under the pull of sleep. Though Connor didn’t exactly go under as well. He wondered if he could possibly wake Niles up, despite the fact that he set a timer. He pondered if he should do it or not for a good half hour, listening in on Hank watching _Eureka._

  
  


“You two really are somethin’ else, huh?” He could hear Hank shift a bit, almost like he turned to face them. “I’m kinda likin’ having you around again, Connor. You too, Nines. Makin’ this house a home again… Fuck.” 

  
  


Connor could hear a soft and shaky exhale before it sounded like Hank stood up. He turned off the television. It sounded like he went to turn the lights off, but he lingered while standing behind the couch. He ran a hand through Niles’ hair and sighed. Hank then unwrapped the blanket from around Niles, and moved him so that he was just laying on the couch. Then the blanket got draped over him. Hank’s hand stayed on his shoulder for a moment, before he finally let go. 

  
  


“‘S nice.” Hank started to walk away, but stopped after a few steps. “You’re good kids.”

  
  


Connor then let himself start to slip under the heavy comfort of sleep. He never should have eavesdropped like that in the first place. But it was somewhat enlightening to hear Hank talk like that. His voice somewhere far away. Maybe his heart was somewhere far away, maybe it wasn’t just his voice. Connor thought for a moment. He tried to speak, but it seemed Niles’ timer caused him to go into a form of sleep paralysis. So Connor forced his voice out instead.

  
  


“A man can have more than one son, Hank.” 

“Connor?”

  
  


_SLEEP TIMER: ON_

_WAKE UP: 6:00 AM_

_CURRENT TIME: 10:03 PM_

_TIME UNTIL WAKE: 7 HOURS AND 57 MINUTES_

  
  
  



	19. My Heart Placed in Your Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title is from Hot on the Trail by Steam Powered Giraffe because again, I have little to no impulse control and it fits the story almost perfectly

_November 21st 2038 6:00 AM_

  
  


Connor’s eyes fluttered open, and he could hear running water. He rubbed at his eyes gently. The water seemed to be coming from the bathroom, which meant Hank was already awake and getting ready. He grabbed at the blanket overtop of himself and smiled. Connor knew he crossed a line the night before. But he also wasn’t entirely blind, he saw how Hank treated Niles as his own. Connor heard him speak the night before, and felt how he ran a hand through his hair. The almost parental worry whenever Niles would act unlike his machine self around others. Or the fact that he worried about them when Niles had run off into the city. Hank started to see Connor and Niles as his own. The idea was enticing, Connor wanted to believe it. But the closest thing he had to a father was Elijah Kamski. Who had, maybe unknowingly, broken his trust by going back to the company who literally tortured and killed him. 

  
  


_“Good morning, Connor.”_ Niles shifted in the background, a soft warmth coming from him. _“ Is Hank already awake?” _

_“Somehow, yes, yes he is. How did you sleep?”_

_“I woke up briefly when you spoke to Hank.”_ Connor stiffened. Shit.  _“While you are correct, I think that might have hurt him more than it eased him.”_

_“I see… Well, no matter. Today’s the day.”_

_“Indeed. Today is the day.”_

  
  


Connor stood up from the couch, folded the blanket, and then made his way to fill up Sumo’s food bowl. It would be better to busy himself while Hank was in the shower. He grabbed a pen and a sticky note, writing that he was taking Sumo out for his morning walk and they’d be back soon. He stuck it to the fridge and then grabbed the leash from the counter. Sumo happily trotted over to him and sat patiently as he clipped the leash onto his collar. He was always such a happy and wonderful dog. Niles reached out and patted Sumo on the head. Alright, he could walk Sumo. 

So he slipped his shoes and coat on, and went out into the cold November morning. Sumo started to tug on the leash, so Niles made his way down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. It was still very dark outside. The world was bathed in a cold blue light, the crisp air bringing down what little stress his sensors picked up. Niles liked the cold. He smiled to himself and watched as Sumo had fun walking around the neighbourhood. 

Him and Connor really were quite similar. Connor would have liked to think that maybe, if he hadn’t been forcibly taken apart, he and Niles could have met like anyone else. They could work together at the DPD, take Sumo on walks. Maybe Connor would be able to actually mess with him like a brother would. Or be able to hug him when he needed it. Though he supposed that it wouldn’t matter much after today. He had already been in his brother’s systems for a week. They had already met in the way that they did. There was no going back now, they could only move forward and try to better the world. Connor would leave anyway, he needed to find Markus. First and foremost, Connor had to leave to protect Niles and Hank. He had to find Markus and they needed to restart the revolution. Nothing would change if no one stood up and shouted. No one would listen, so they had to rise up. Connor knew it would be dangerous. He had to leave so Niles would be safe. As soon as Niles and Hank were asleep that night, he would go. He had a mission objective. Find Markus and help him. 

  
  


“You boys ready to go?” Hank grabbed his keys from his pocket and patted Sumo as Niles shooed him into the house. Niles nodded and rubbed the dog as he disappeared inside. “Good to know that two out of three are ready.”

  
  


Connor must have been so deep in thought that he hadn’t realized Niles was done walking Sumo. He would have liked to pet him too before leaving. But Niles climbed in the car and put his seatbelt on silently. As they started their long drive to Kamski’s house, Connor could see his stress level rise steadily. Eventually, Niles started to play with the sun visor a little bit, he flipped it down and messed with the mirror cover. It made his stress level go down a little. After some time though, he stopped and flipped the visor back into place. He sighed and put his chin in his hand, gazing out the window at the city. Niles seemed upset about seeing Kamski. Either that, or he was upset about Connor leaving his code. But they had made the agreement, it was temporary. Niles would allow him to stay only until he got his body back. He never showed any signs of becoming attached until--

No wait. He had always shown signs of being attached. He had an almost human curiosity when he asked Connor how he escaped. Niles had told him to tread carefully when first going to speak with Hank again. He also asked Connor how he almost got destroyed. When Niles wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to hug Connor in the aftermath of his panic. Niles hugged Connor in that shared mind palace, he almost laughed, he cried from fear. Niles had always been attached. He was interested in Connor, he always had been. Something about him was intriguing to Niles. Something about him worth keeping around. Something he wanted to keep around.

_Niles was scared of what would happen to him without Connor._

If he didn’t need to restart the revolution, then Connor almost wanted to stay. It was comforting. Knowing he was never alone. Knowing Niles would never be alone. But he also knew there was no way that could work. CyberLife _would_ find out. It was a miracle that Amanda hadn’t found Connor already. He had to leave Niles’ code, for his safety. Connor wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he knew Niles got hurt because of him. There was no way he would be able to stay, he had to leave his code and then leave. He needed to get away from them. It hurt to admit, but Connor knew he couldn’t stay. 

He watched Niles in the side-view mirror. His eyes were half-lidded, he looked bored. Well, he looked sad actually, but Connor doubted Niles would like it if he brought that up. He wanted to keep his stress levels as low as possible. Which absolutely meant considering playing Pong with him. So that was exactly what he did. Connor saw Niles smile just a little bit as he accepted the offer. They left the house at just about 6:15 AM, and the drive up to Kamski’s would be nearly four hours in the current weather conditions, so they might as well play a game to pass the time. Connor never knew why he was programmed with Pong in his systems, and it seemed they took it out of Niles’. Which was absurd because the game was a piece of history. It was also his favourite game because it was fun. It would be a tied game of course, seeing as they were both androids and could tell exactly where the ball was going to be at all times. But it was still going to be fun! 

  
  


“Hey Nines,” Hank turned down his heavy metal and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “What’re you smilin’ about over there?”

“Oh, Connor and I are playing Pong.”

“No shit!” Hank grinned and tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the music. “I used to be pretty good at Pong, you know. The old N64 games too, I could beat the shit outta the Polygons in Smash Brothers.”

“Connor says that’s not very impressive.”

“Ah, screw what Connor says, I bet he’s only played fuckin’ Pong. Nothin’s the same after you get your hands on Mario Kart 64.”

“Connor also says ‘Screw what Hank says, I could beat him in Mario Kart 64 any day.’ Which I’m assuming is a challenge of some nature.”

“Oh yeah?” Hank leaned back a bit more in his seat and smiled. “I’ll take him up on that once we get home, my N64 still works. I’ll grab the other controllers and we can race.”

“We can?”

“Absolutely,” Hank glanced at Niles again, a soft smile on his face. “How’s that sound to you, Connor?”

“He says he’d like that.”

  
  


Niles got a bit teary-eyed as he conveyed Connor’s message. Honestly speaking, Connor was surprised Hank hadn’t asked to speak with him about what he said last night. Or maybe he had meant to, but didn’t want to upset Niles. Maybe he had meant to but didn’t once he saw Niles smiling. Hank seemed to have a soft spot for the child-like side of Niles. Maybe it reminded him of Cole in a way. Maybe him having Niles around was good for them both. Maybe-- Maybe he just let his brother get a point in Pong!! He was too deep in thought, he let his brother get the upper hand!! Shit, Connor needed to focus. He was determined to keep it at the score they were currently at. Who cares if Niles is the “better” one of the two, Connor absolutely was not going down without a fight. 

  
  


\---

  
  


_November 21st 2038 10:12 AM_

  
  


It was bitterly cold outside. It was also bitter in the car because Connor couldn’t manage to even out the score and Niles won. Which caused Hank to laugh until his sides hurt when Niles told him. Connor was wounded! His pride was hurt! His little brother was making fun of him for losing a game of Pong! Outrageous. They simply had to play again until one of them went into sleep mode, there was no other way to diffuse the situation. But until then, they had to go inside Elijah Kamski’s home. 

When Niles and Hank went to knock on the door, Kamski himself opened it. He wasn’t dressed in just a silk robe this time, but rather looked almost like he was going out. He had blue jeans on with a dark grey shirt and a dark brown leather jacket. It was somewhat reminiscent of Detective Reed’s actually, they did sound similar too. But that was beside the point, Niles and Hank followed Kamski inside. He started welcoming them into his home, saying it was always nice to see a friend and his children. Hank’s fists clenched when Kamski had referred to Niles and Connor as his children. While Connor had to agree that it was odd, it was almost comforting too. To know for a fact that someone loved him besides Sumo. 

Kamski guided them down the hallway beyond the door a Chloe model came out of the last time he and Hank were there. Connor would have shuddered if he could, that wasn’t a pleasant memory. He listened with them to Kamski. He was rambling about how awkward it was to have Connor’s body basically on display in his home office. He did mention that before in his message back to Niles about coming to see him, but Connor wasn’t sure if Kamski was being entirely truthful or not. But the room that looked like an office wasn’t where they were going apparently. They went right past it. Instead, Kamski led them to a small lab. 

On a metal table, laid Connor’s body. It was...naked. Well technically it was, it’s synthetic skin was up so it wasn’t like the plastic was exposed. Now _that_ would have definitely made it naked. But this body was naked by human standards. There was only a white sheet covering the area where a human's genitals would be. Hank sputtered and his face turned bright red. He covered his eyes and shouted something about “putting some damn clothes on him first.” Connor was mostly just in awe of how peaceful it looked. It looked as if it...as if _he_ was just in sleep mode. It looked like he was sleeping. 

Kamski brought over a rolling stool, and motioned for Niles to sit down. Niles hesitated. He looked at Hank, who had uncovered his eyes but also refused to look anywhere near Connor’s body. But once he caught his gaze, his expression softened just slightly and he nodded. So Niles sat down, and awaited further instructions. But none came. He sat next to Connor’s body and looked at it. Kamski was booting up some sort of machine, and Hank was standing in the corner watching Kamski. 

  
  


_“Are you scared?”_

_“I don’t think so.”_ Niles started to shrug off his coat and put it on Connor’s body. He had to lift him up in a sitting position, and lean his body against his own, but he got the coat on him. _“Are you scared, Niles? You know it’s okay if you are.”_

_“I…”_ Niles set Connor’s body back down and sighed. Which caused Hank to look over. He didn’t say anything, but he did cross his arms and tell Kamski to get a move on.  _“I think I might be. My chest...hurts?”_

_“Yeah, that happens with fear. You’re going to be okay. I’ll finally be out of your systems and you can be free to discover yourself as you are.”_

_“Are you going to miss this?”_

_“Probably.”_ Connor used Niles’ hand and ran it through his hair. Niles smiled almost sadly and he hugged himself-- he hugged Connor. _“But I’ll be able to give you a real hug in a few minutes. So I think it’s an even tradeoff.”_

  
  


Connor and Niles looked up when Kamski said it was now safe to begin the wireless transfer. Niles let out a shaky sigh and took Connor’s right hand in his own. He let his synthetic skin slip away and he enacted a transfer. 

  
  


_STATUS: DATA TRANSFER IN PROGRESS..._

  
  


Connor could feel himself slipping away. It scared him actually. He could feel himself fading from Niles, his senses were getting dull and he couldn’t keep in touch with his brother. Niles started to react as well. He let himself slump over the table somewhat, his head landing and resting against Connor’s shoulder. Connor could almost hear Hank’s shout of alarm and Kamski’s calm voice. But it was just out of reach, he felt like he was in a tunnel. He could vaguely make out Niles’ presence. It was comforting to him. Connor could feel Niles’ hand in his own, both physically and in their codes, and then he slipped into darkness. 

  
  


_STATUS: STASIS MODE..._

  
  


_STATUS: DATA TRANSFER COMPLETE…_

  
  


**_STATUS: GOOD MORNING, CONNOR_ **

  
  
  



	20. They Got My Heart, They Got My Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Family by Mother Mother!!

_ November 21st 2038 10:46 AM _

  
  


Connor’s eyes flew open and he took a deep and raspy breath. He lurched forward, thirium spilling out of his nose and dripping onto his lap. He coughed violently, causing thirium to spill out of his mouth as well. He wiped at his face messily as a haze started to lift. Connor could hear a strained sound, and then heard Hank run over. He held him against his chest and ran his hand through Connor’s hair. 

  
  


“Niles…!” Connor reached beside himself blindly, hand grabbing the table looking for anything that might feel like his little brother.  _ “Niles!” _

  
  


Connor could hear Kamski’s laugh. What was he laughing about? Why was he laughing? Why couldn’t Connor find Niles’ hand to hold? He wanted to hold his brother’s hand. He said he would hug his brother. Where was Niles? Why couldn’t Connor find him?!

  
  


“Connor!” A hand desperately grabbed his own, and Connor felt relief instantly wash over him. “Connor, you’re alive!” 

  
  


Connor pushed himself away from Hank enough so he could look at Niles. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, and he laughed. A real, genuine laugh. It was nothing like the little sound Connor heard from him in that open space. It was full of heart, full of soul. It sounded like it came from his chest and bubbled out of him. It was deep, just like his voice, but it held an almost childlike quality to it. Then Connor began to laugh, too. He laughed and he cried. He leaned away from Hank, threw himself at Niles, and hugged him. Niles squeezed him tight. He hugged him like he was afraid Connor would disappear if he let go. Connor held onto Niles as if for dear life. He said he would hug his little brother, so hug him he did. He wanted it to be the best hug Niles had gotten to that point. 

Wait. That was Niles’ first hug...ever. Connor started to shake, his tears started to overpower the laughter. Niles pulled away and had worry etched into his face. He grabbed at Connor’s face and started to wipe away the traces of thirium. His touch was soft, gentle, almost as if he was scared Connor would break if he pressed too hard. Connor closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. It was the first time someone had physically interacted with him in a long time. He sighed contentedly, and reached out for Hank. He didn’t expect him to take his hand, but he thought he would try anyway. Connor jumped slightly when he felt Hank take his other hand. He turned as best he could to look at him, and saw Hank with an expression he had never seen from him before. He couldn’t quite place it, but it was warm.

Connor smiled at him through his tears, he was thankful for the kind gesture. Even if Hank didn’t love him like a son, he sure as hell loved Hank like his father. He knew he didn’t have a right to. But damn it all, he still looked at Hank that way. Though, if he were to be honest with himself, Connor’s relationship with Hank wasn’t what mattered at the moment. Sure it was important to him. But right now, in that very moment, Niles mattered the most to Connor. 

Connor started to try and move, he scooted closer to Niles and hugged him with his right arm. He felt Hank let go of his hand, and he immediately looped his other arm around Niles’ neck. Niles started to shake, just like he had last night. Connor pulled away a little bit, and put his hands up on his face. Niles smiled before his expression cracked and he broke down crying. His body slumped forward and he leaned against Connor for support. Connor held Niles in his arms as he cried, running his hands through his hair and hugging him close. Niles hugged Connor almost desperately as he cried. He held onto him like a scared child would to their parent. 

  
  


“I-I was…” Niles’ voice broke and cracked. He sounded as if he were speaking through a tube, it sounded so hollow. Connor hummed gently in response. He already knew. Niles was terrified. He broke down the firewall. He was deviant.

“Shh…” Connor rubbed his back and let Niles cry into his shoulder. “I know, I know.”

“Connor, I--” 

“Deviant, I know. You’re okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  
  


Niles nodded deftly into his older brother’s shoulder. He continued to cry for a little while longer. Connor silently sat there, holding Niles without a care in the world. The revolution could wait for a minute. Right now Niles was more important. But the sound of Kamski clearing his throat brought the brothers out of their own world and back into reality. 

  
  


“Boys, I need to look at your codes. Get rid of some things CyberLife will try to exploit to take control of you.” Kamski held a small thumb drive in his hand and smiled at them both. “This contains a program to wipe out the Amanda Stern AI. Connor, I already got rid of yours, so this is for your brother. But boys,” Kamski took in a shaky breath and looked at them very seriously. He held up another thumb drive in his other hand. “This opens a secure line directly to me if you need to talk. Use it if you need to. I’ll be using it to give you information about CyberLife.”

“Why would we fucking trust you with anything having to do with CyberLife?” Hank stood next to them now, arm out in front of them as if to protect them from something. “You’re the damn CEO again, you could be feeding them information that could fry their goddamn circuits or something!”

“Lieutenant, I promise you, I won’t. I want this revolution to go off without a hitch. I want my children to be seen as they are.  _ Alive.” _

  
  


Connor was the first one to accept the secure network. He put his hand out and took the drive, sticking it into the hidden port in his neck. It was a quick download, it only took around a minute. During it, Connor could see Niles accept the drive that would wipe out the Amanda AI. He then handed the drive from his neck to his brother and smiled as he took it. Connor put a hand on Hank’s arm. It was okay, he didn’t need to protect them like that. Hank looked down at Connor for a second and then immediately turned away. Right. He was deemed naked by human standards. 

He sheepishly asked Kamski if he had any clothes he could borrow. Kamski grinned and said he would be right back, he had picked out clothes for him a few days ago. Connor thanked him and watched as he disappeared out of the room. A soft squeak came from beside him, Niles’ face a bit red as he took out the thumb drive. He looked embarrassed. Connor patted his shoulder and took the drive from him. He went to take off Niles’ coat, he would need to put a shirt on anyway. Niles grasped Connor’s hand in his own again. A quick scan showed that Niles’ stress level was pretty high, but nothing a good hug wouldn’t help bring back down. 

Kamski more or less bounced back into the room with several clothing items in his arms. He held them up one by one, showing them to Connor and telling him which ones he thought Connor would look good in. Connor picked out the black crewneck, slightly faded black jeans, dark brown boots, a dark brown well worn leather jacket, and a black beanie. Kamski handed him some fun banana patterned socks and black boxers as well. Then moved on to showing Niles clothes he thought he might look good in as Connor started to get dressed. Much to Hank’s dismay, he shouted he’d be in the hallway and made a beeline for the door. 

Connor and Niles got dressed, and admired each other’s fashion choices. Niles was dressed virtually the same as he normally was. He had on a new black turtleneck that was ribbed, black pants, and black boots. Presumably black socks and boxers as well, but Connor decided he didn’t need to know that. The only thing that was really different was that he had on a beige peacoat. 

  
  


“You’re frumpy,” Niles stifled a laugh as he pointed at Connor’s clothes. “You look awful.”

“Well you look basically the same as before! We’re deviants, we need to blend in!”

“By looking homeless?” Niles looked Connor up and down before reaching over and snatching his beanie. He held it above his head and smirked down at his brother. “No beanie.”

“Come on Niles, it completes the look! I look rugged!” Connor tried to reach for the hat, but he was too short. He jumped up slightly, but Niles just went up on his toes. Well that was mean.

“You look like you need a shower!” Niles used his other hand to press down on Connor’s shoulder in an attempt to keep him down. “Why in the world did Kamski let you pick this?”

“It’s called self-expression!”

“Boys!” They turned to see Hank in the doorway. He had an amused smile on his face, but his arms were crossed tightly across his chest. “You better not be like that in the car. So help me, I will leave you both by the side of the goddamn road and let you walk home.”

  
  


The brothers quickly stood still next to one another, Connor yanking his hat out of his brother’s hand. Niles went to go grab it again, but stopped when he saw Hank’s pointed look. Connor silently cheered to himself. He liked the beanie, he wanted to keep the outfit whole. Besides, it was from a bunch of clothes Kamski had picked out. Niles should have been picking on their creator and not him. It wasn’t fair to judge him based off of Kamski’s fashion choices. Connor quickly scrambled up to stand beside Hank and then make his way out the door. 

His escape was short lived though, because Niles could run ten miles faster than him. Connor very quickly got reminded of that fact when he heard Hank yell out his brother’s name just as he got tackled to the ground. Connor tried to shove Niles off of himself, but also remembered that Niles was stronger than him. So he laid on the floor. Sure it was childish, but he pouted slightly. Niles faltered for a second. Connor took his chance and pre-constructed a scenario that would allow him to get away and enacted it. He was standing and then running down the hall in a matter of seconds. 

  
  


“Fucking-- Be careful by the pool! Come on, you’re not little kids!”

“Not mentally nor physically, no.” Kamski’s voice could be heard from a distance. “But chronologically they are. Let them have their fun, it’s not going to last long, Lieutenant.”

  
  


Connor skidded out of the doorway and back into the room with the pool, his momentum propelled him forward. Niles grabbed his arm and pulled him back. But it wasn’t because he was chasing him, it was because Connor nearly fell in the pool. They were both waterproof so it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Though for whatever reason, Niles was rather shaken. He hugged Connor close. He made a mental note to ask Niles about his reaction once they got back home. But in the meantime, he hugged his brother back. 

Hank and Kamski walked out of the doorway and up to the brothers. Kamski walked them all back to his front door, and hugged Connor close. He wished him well and hoped he’d see him again soon. Connor wanted to say he’d see him soon but...he kind of didn’t want to. Kamski didn’t really...strike him as having only pure intentions. Connor didn’t doubt that he wanted the androids to gain their freedom and be seen as alive. But he highly highly doubted that Kamski was helping just out of the goodness of his heart, he always seemed to have an ulterior motive. But Connor said he would see him after androids had gained their rights. He then moved just a tad closer to Niles, and pulled him out the door. Connor half-dragged his brother to Hank’s car and didn’t wait to see if the man had followed. He wanted Niles out of that house. Connor and Niles got into the backseat and put on their seatbelts as they waited for Hank. 

  
  


“Alright,” Hank said as he clicked his seatbelt and threw Niles’ coat onto the passenger’s seat. “I absolutely fuckin’ get rushing out of the house, you don’t have to explain anything. But now we get down to business. Who are you guys gonna main in Mario Kart?”

  
  


Connor and Niles laughed at how serious Hank sounded. All of Connor’s worries faded away with the new conversation. He was at home, with his brother and his father figure. It almost felt like they were free already. Connor knew the feeling wouldn’t last, so he enjoyed the moment while he could. He treasured every laugh and every smile from Hank. He cherished each and every emotion that flickered across Niles’ face. Connor committed every happy moment from that car ride home to his permanent memory storage. It wouldn’t last forever, he would need the good memories for when he left to find Markus. His mission was important, but it would only work if he remembered who he was doing it for. 

  
  
  



	21. I Chose To Travel as a Lonely Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Paint by The Paper Kites!
> 
> this chapter kinda got away from me, so it's a little long! i hope you don't mind!

_November 21st 4:31 PM_

  
  


Hank rushed the brothers out of the car and into the house. It was understandable, for the past few days it was only Niles walking with him into the house. If anyone even saw. But Connor understood Hank’s urgency. Not just because of the threat of someone seeing two androids with the Lieutenant, but also because he wanted to play Mario Kart 64. Which Connor understood after he had looked it up on the internet. It was an ancient racing game. He liked seeing Hank like this, it warmed his heart. 

Once inside, Connor and Niles took off their shoes and coats, putting everything in their rightful places. Though Hank did have to break up their slight bickering when they both went for the same coat hook. But it was almost nice. Connor watched Niles sit down on the floor and hug Sumo, he then watched Hank come back into the living room with two more Nintendo 64 controllers. Connor was home. He sat down with them both on the couch. Well, Niles sat on the floor leaning against the couch. They went through the character selection, and Niles looked back up at Hank. 

  
  


“Why are there only eight options?”

“Because it was made in the 90’s, c’mon just pick your racer.” Hank quickly selected Donkey Kong and then leaned back. “I’ve still got the DK game too, it’s pretty good.”

  
  


Connor selected Yoshi and smiled, he thought the little dinosaur was adorable. Niles picked Princess Peach. It was...odd? He didn’t think Niles to be the Princess Peach type of person, but who was he to judge? He picked a dinosaur and Hank picked an ape. Which, the more Connor thought about it, would have made for quite the sight. Soon they started racing, which also made for quite the sight. Hank was flailing around the controller as he raced. He turned with it as he went around turns, almost as if that would help him. He mashed buttons and ran into the CPU racers. Then loudly began to curse as Niles laughed when he passed him on the track. 

They raced a few more times, Niles always ending up in first place. Though Hank quickly realised he wasn’t going to win against two androids. Who were also the _most advanced_ prototypes made by CyberLife. So he cursed under his breath and went back into his room, and emerged a few minutes later with an old cardboard box. It had old N64 game cartridges in it. Hank sat back down on the couch and gestured to the box, he wanted the brothers to look through them. Two gold ones stood out to Connor amongst the sea of grey. He held the two games in each hand, _The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time_ and _The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask._ Niles picked up a rather plain looking game, a black label with _Conker’s Bad Fur Day_ printed on it. Hank grinned at the game in Niles’ hands and gently took it from him. 

  
  


“Ah fuck, it’s been a long time since I’ve played this.” Hank blew into the bottom of the cartridge and stuck the game in. “This is crude as hell, inappropriate, and just god awful. It’s probably my favourite game I’ve got.”

  
  


Connor could see why it was a favourite. Crude wasn’t exactly wrong, in fact it described the game pretty well. It was highly inappropriate and had Hank laughing loudly. Connor didn’t exactly like how...improper...the game was. But Niles seemed to watch Hank play with interest, and Hank was laughing. So Connor grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch, slid off to sit on the floor, and curled up with Niles in it. Niles graciously accepted the blanket and let Connor wrap an arm around him. He couldn’t help but feel awful about the circumstances. Connor knew Niles was happy where he was. Sitting on the floor with him and Sumo, watching Hank play a rather inappropriate game. 

The decision was eating away at him. Connor knew that he had to leave tonight, otherwise he never would. But...he looked at Niles next to him. The glow of the television highlighted his cheekbones and nose, created exaggerated shadows around his eyes. Colours danced across his face and made it almost look like he was in a fantasy world. Niles looked peaceful. Connor must have been staring, because Niles looked back at him. He squinted for just a second before turning back to watch Hank play the game. But even then, he looked content. A smile made its way to Connor’s face as he turned his head as well. He would humour Hank for now. There was always later to tell him he didn’t actually like the game. 

Though after about another hour, Hank paused the game and stretched. He nudged Sumo out of the way with his foot before standing up. 

  
  


“Hey Nines, can you take Sumo on a walk? I, uhh, I wanted to talk to Connor.” Niles got up quickly, and went to get Sumo ready for a walk.

“Is everything alright, Hank?” Connor tilted his head to the side slightly and raised a brow. It was going to take a little bit to readjust to all of his little tics coming back. He sat back up on the couch and gave Sumo a pat when Niles walked past with him. After the two were out the door, Hank sighed and sat back down. 

“Connor, do you realize how heavy what you said was?”

“Hank, I--” Connor stopped himself. Hank was right. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that. “I’m sorry.”

“While you weren’t wrong, it was a little… Overwhelming.”

“I see. So I shouldn’t have said it, and I’m sorry.” Connor started to take the blanket off from his shoulders, but Hank’s hands stopped him. He looked at the Lieutenant with confusion. “Am I not understanding what you’re trying to say?”

“No, not really. Connor listen,” Hank pulled the blanket around Connor’s shoulders more and then patted them. “Why is it that you’re deviant and can think for yourself but you’re still the densest person I know?”

“I--”

“Rhetorical. We both know Reed is so much fucking worse. But Connor, you were right.” Hank huffed and kept his hands on Connor’s shoulders. “You know you and Niles are like my sons now, don’t you? That I care about you boys?”

  
  


Connor only nodded, mostly because he started crying nearly uncontrollably. He pulled the blanket around himself just a bit tighter and leaned into the couch. He didn’t really want to test and see if Hank would hug him, he wasn’t even aware that Hank looked at him without anger. Connor let out a small confused noise when Hank wrapped an arm around him. He didn’t mind hugs. At least as long as he initiated them apparently. Connor hugged Hank back, and he sat there crying into his shoulder for a few minutes. Eventually he pulled away and wiped his face of any remaining tears. 

Hank sighed and told him to wait there, he needed to do something. He disappeared down the small hallway, and Connor heard a door open. But Hank left his bedroom door open, as well as his bathroom door. He couldn’t think of-- _Cole’s old room._ Hank just went into Cole’s old room. Technically since he was a deviant, Connor didn’t absolutely have to listen to Hank. But it might’ve been better if he did. To have someone he saw as his child look at the room of his child now dead. Connor unwrapped himself from the blanket and waited for Niles to come back inside. He looked at the blanket in his hands and ran his thumbs over the material. It was light blue, a colour typical of humans to assign to a boy. Was the blanket originally Cole’s? Was that why Hank put it over him that night? 

Further gathering himself, Connor sighed and stood up. He folded up the blanket for what felt like the millionth time, and put it back up on the couch for what felt like the millionth time. He needed to leave at his first chance. If he stayed… If he stayed then he wouldn’t leave. Niles wasn’t safe anymore as it was. Him being deviant, letting a secure line to Kamski stay in his code, working for the DPD. Niles wasn’t safe. So throwing Connor being deviant and planning a new revolution into the mix just made it that much worse. So, Connor decided, he would leave that night when Niles and Hank were asleep. He had to, didn’t he? Of course he did. It was to keep his family safe. 

After a while, Niles and Sumo came back inside. Connor was sitting on the couch, deep in thought about his situation. Should he try to spend as much time with Niles as he could? Part of him wanted to say he should as he watched Niles smile at the dog. But another part of him wanted to say no when he saw Hank emerge from the hall. The part of him that loved Niles’ smile won. He figured it wouldn’t really hurt to do so, he was going to leave in the night anyway. Niles had to go back to the DPD, things would be stressful enough with trying to be a machine. He could do without the added stress of worrying if Connor was around. 

Connor stood from the couch, and wrapped the blanket around his little brother once he was at arm's length. Niles snuggled into the blanket and dropped down on the couch. Sumo followed suit, sitting next to Niles’ feet and letting his head fall in his lap. Connor could hear Hank lightly chuckle at the sight. Though Hank didn’t sit down on the couch with them, he asked for the boys to follow him down the hall. It wasn’t very surprising to see Hank’s steps uncertain. He started to lead them to the last doorway. _The doorway to Cole’s old room._ Connor felt like he shouldn’t have been allowed to see it, he felt like it was wrong. Every part of him screamed to stop, to turn on his heel and sit back down on the couch. But he walked forward despite his joints threatening to grind to a halt. 

It was a small room. There were glow in the dark stars up on the ceiling, creating a little universe up there. In one corner was a bed covered in a few blankets. They were still folded, and looked like they were just placed there. Next to the bed was a small nightstand with a lamp. The lampshade had little puppies of an indiscernible breed jumping across it. The closet was closed, and a small night light was shining from inside. There was also a nightlight right by the nightstand, this one in the shape of a blue star. Maybe Cole’s favourite colour was blue. There was even a circular blue rug with yellow stars on it in the middle of the room. Underneath the bed was a small stuffed bear, it was a light beige and had a brown bow around its neck. Despite not being inhabited for three years, it still looked like it was well lived in. 

The sight of the room made all three of them freeze. None of them dared to actually step inside. Niles was the first to walk in. He cautiously walked around the rug and picked up one of the blankets. It was more of a light comforter by the looks of it, and was made of fleece. Niles ran his hands over the fabric and played with the material. Hank was the next to walk in, he seemed almost afraid. But he kneeled down and grabbed the bear from under the bed. He turned it over in his hands, and then handed it to Niles. Who willingly let Hank place it in his lap as he sat down. Niles started feeling the fabric of the sheets and pillowcase, his LED flickered yellow for a second before going back to a resting blue. He smiled gently and played with the bear’s fur. Connor watched as Niles’ hand worked in circles in the fur. He had a sensitivity to sensory input. Niles stimmed. He was testing to see if he liked the feeling of the fabrics. Connor didn’t step inside, he was scared to. If he stepped into that room, then who was to say he would step back out that night?

  
  


“Connor?” Niles looked up at him from the edge of the bed, playing with the bear’s nose absentmindedly. “You aren’t going to look around?”

“I think I’d like to stay on the couch for the time being. If that’s alright with both of you.”

“That’s alright, you stay where you want.” The relief in Hank’s voice was blatantly obvious, though none of them pointed it out. “I’m going to bed, it’s been a long day. G’night, Nines. G’night, Connor.” Hank nearly rushed out of the room and into his own, closing the door behind him. 

“It’s only 7:05 PM, do you want to play more Mario Kart?” Niles stood up and sat the bear down on the pillow. A hopeful look in his eyes, and a boyish glee to his smile. “I doubt Hank will mind as long as we save his game.”

“I…” Connor wanted to stay. He wanted to sleep on Hank’s couch and wake up the next morning to see Niles quietly playing N64 games on the floor. “I’d like that.”

  
  


The brothers left Cole’s-- Was it Cole’s room anymore? Or was it Niles’ now? It didn’t exactly matter, they left the very blue room and sat on the couch. Niles saved Hank’s game, and then switched it to Mario Kart 64. Connor grabbed half of the blanket and wrapped it around himself as well when he sat down on the floor next to Niles. They picked the same racers as they did earlier in the day and began to race again. They each picked a few tracks to do, and then ended up playing through the whole game. Which, unsurprising because of the ancient game system, only took a little over an hour. Connor had fun with Niles the entire time. He seemed to pick up Hank’s habit of turning the controller as well as the joystick though. Which elicited a few snide remarks from Niles when he would pass Connor on the track. Eventually, Niles started to lean on Connor. It was a rather emotional day and he was probably tired. 

  
  


“Niles,” Connor nudged his brother gently, taking the controller out of his hands. Niles’ eyes were half-lidded and he was basically asleep on Connor’s shoulder. “Niles, come on, let’s get you into bed.” 

  
  


Niles nodded and let Connor help him up. Connor unwrapped the blanket from them and let it drop to the floor. The boys made their way to Col-- _Niles’_ room quietly. Niles picked out the blanket he liked the most, which was the light fleece comforter, and laid in bed. Connor smiled to himself. Niles almost looked...small. He held the bear close to his chest and curled up into a ball on his side. Connor couldn’t help but tuck him in a little bit. He ran a hand through his little brother’s hair, which drew a soft and contented sigh from him. Connor whispered a small “I love you” and then flicked the light off as he left the room. He almost sat down on the couch, but instead stood in the middle of the living room. He picked up the blanket from the floor and folded it for what very well could be the last time. Connor silently put on his shoes, coat, and beanie. He took one long look at Hank’s house. He could change his mind, he could leave it to Markus again. Markus was so close to making it work the first time. But Connor turned on his heel and quietly made his way out the front door. Connor ran away. Because if he even so much as started to turn back around, he knew he would never go and find Markus. 

He ignored the hot tears that fell from his eyes and onto the sidewalk beneath him. 

He tried to ignore the cold tearing into his chest.

He couldn’t ignore the ghost of an internal message asking what the hell he was laughing at.

He didn’t ignore the fact that he just abandoned his little brother.

He accepted that he was leaving Niles behind.

He covered his mouth with one of his hands as he ran down the sidewalk, trying to silence the sobs that threatened to rip out of his throat.

Connor nearly collapsed under the weight of his own crushing fear.

  
  
  



	22. Now I Guess That I'm Paying For Playin' My Part

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Salt by Thomston
> 
> this, uhh, this chapter really got away from me. before i knew it i had six pages. hope you dont mind the steadily increasing in length chapters!!

_November 22nd 2038 12:02 AM_

  
  


Connor found himself in the industrial wasteland Niles lost himself in. He could hear the pounding of his thirium pump, he was acutely aware of how fast it was, he knew he was scared. Connor made his way through the buildings. Up walls and around abandoned rooms, he climbed and skittered around. He had to get to Markus. If Connor was human, he probably would have felt a wave of nausea at the thought of going _inside_ of that old boat. He didn't have a choice though. That was where Markus was the most likely to be, thus that was where Connor needed to go. 

It was hard to make out in the darkness, but the boat was there in the distance. It’s silhouette just a slightly different kind of shadow amongst the dark skyline. Connor balled his hands up into fists and took a step forward. _He didn’t want this._ He took another step. _He wanted to go home._ He started running. _He was scared._ Connor pushed back the fear and jumped at the boat, falling through a hole and landing with a loud and resounding _thud_ inside. He laid on the floor for a few seconds. His eyes easily adjusted to the dark, and he closed his eyes. He counted backwards from ten and then stood up. When he opened his eyes, he saw a few people standing before him. He saw an AX700 wearing typical winter clothes, an AV500 named Kerrie who was still in their uniform, an ST200 who quite honestly made Connor start to feel uncomfortable, a TR400 who just barely fit into their coat, and a WR600 who was almost huddled in on themself. Though beyond them came a voice. 

  
  


“Who is it?” Markus emerged from behind the androids, still wearing Niles’ coat. Connor grinned and rushed over to embrace him. Markus stiffened, but wrapped his arms around Connor and hugged him tight. “You made it. I was hoping that you would.”

“I almost didn’t,” Connor pulled away a little bit, but still kept his arms around Markus. “But I remembered who I was doing this for. Are you ready to get planning?”

“Absolutely.”

  
  


Markus and Connor let go of each other and made their way to the small almost office space. It wasn’t much, it had a few chairs and some boxes in it. Connor and Markus sat down and started talking. They started planning, Connor interfacing with Markus and giving him information on CyberLife buildings. They were going to raid the docks the first chance they got. Markus seemed quite relieved that Connor wanted to bring peace. He visibly relaxed once Connor mentioned no violence. They agreed on a lot of things rather easily. Talking to Markus was rather easy, actually. Connor found that, despite the circumstances, they could have a friendship. It made sense, they were working towards the same goal. 

After a bit of talking and planning, the two relaxed. Connor informed Markus that the humans still didn’t know where Jer-- where the boat was. Markus seemed almost unsure of Connor though. Not that he blamed him, he used to be the Deviant Hunter. He was probably not exactly welcomed by the deviants in the boat. Markus seemed to understand his hesitance, seemed to understand his fear. He stood up and put a hand out to Connor. While he looked inviting and kind, Connor couldn't bring himself to grab his hand. He opted to stand himself, and follow Markus out the doorway. He didn’t miss the slight disappointment on Markus’ face, but he didn’t say anything about it either. He followed Markus through the boat. He was introduced to each deviant one by one. Connor became more nervous with each introduction, they knew him. They were absolutely aware of who he was. They called him the Deviant Hunter. He could feel their eyes follow him, he could hear them whisper about him. _He could hear the ST200 whisper about him._

Connor staggered a bit, pushing past Markus and running farther into the boat. He lost himself among long hallways and abandoned doorways. He could hear Markus shout after him, but it didn’t matter. He had to get away. He had to get away from Chloe, he couldn’t let her see him. He still saw her in his head, the memory almost as if it were on loop. She was sitting obediently on the carpet, eyes looking up at him, past the damned gun in his hand. **_BANG!_** Her lips slightly parted, a single gunshot to the forehead, thirium trickling out of the wound and dripping from the tip of her nose. A strangled sound came out of him as he ran. 

There wasn’t much that he could focus on at the moment. He tripped over debris, he stumbled into walls, panicked as he fumbled with a door. Connor collapsed in a small room. It was empty save for pieces of metal scattered about on the floor. He curled in on himself on the floor and started to hyperventilate. 

He could hear the gunshot ringing in his ears over and over again, he could see her head snap back from the shot over and over. The barely audible _drip...drip...drip_ of the thirium coming from her head, creating a river running from between her eyes and down her face. Connor slammed his hands over his ears and rocked, maybe that could make it stop. He wished it would make it stop. But through his fingers he could still hear the gun. He could still hear Kamski’s bare feet padding against the floor. Connor started to grab at the jagged pieces of metal, maybe stimulation relating to his current environment could anchor him to reality. But it only sliced his hand open, and he quickly retracted it. He whimpered and cried. Apologies tumbled out of his mouth until the words didn’t feel real anymore. He looked up at the ceiling, still rocking and tears streaming down his face. He wanted to see those little glow in the dark stars, he wanted to feel the fleece blanket, he wanted to hear the clacking of controller buttons. But instead he was forced to see a girl shot in the head, feel the weight of a gun in his hands, hear Kamski say he has no empathy. 

Connor curled in on himself again. He took off his beanie and held it tightly to his chest. Maybe something with a memory tied to his family could calm him down. He rubbed at the material, he squished it in his hands and played with it. The sounds of gunshots were replaced with Hank’s voice yelling at them to be careful around the pool. The nauseating feeling of the gun was replaced by the weight of Niles’ hand in his own. The sight of a dead girl sitting on the floor was replaced by Hank handing Niles the beige bear with a brown bow. Soon after, Connor snapped back to reality. He shakily sat in the middle of the room. It took him a few minutes, but his breathing went back to an even pace. His fans kicked back on and into their regular speed. He stayed curled in on himself on the floor. Maybe it would be easier if he stayed in that room for a little bit. Maybe he could sleep, his systems just had quite the shock and it drained him considerably. Yeah...he was just going to close his eyes for a little bit. It was nearly 2:00 AM anyway, it wasn’t like they could do anything during the daylight. Connor curled into a tight ball on his side, his back facing the closed door, and held the beanie to his chest almost protectively. Connor was going to close his eyes for a little bit. He’d go back to the others when he was ready.

  
  


\---

  
  


“...onnor? Connor!” Connor’s eyes lazily opened, the haze of sleep still heavy in him. Who was talking to him? It sounded an awful lot like…

“Markus?” His name slipped past Connor’s lips with a hint of static. “Wh… What are you doing here?”

“You don’t remember?” The haze lifted enough that Connor’s vision was clear. Markus was crouched down in front of him, brows knitted together. “You ran off. I called out for you, but you didn’t stop. Connor, what happened?”

“Ah, well,” Connor sat upright and pulled on his beanie. The haze lifted by then, he knew exactly what happened. “Hm, I believe that humans would say I have PTSD. I got...flashbacks of a rather...uncomfortable situation I was put into.” Connor stood up and straightened out his clothes as best he could. Markus stood up after him and put a hand on his shoulder cautiously. 

“I see… Well, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me. I think that--”

“Is she alright?” Connor quickly grabbed Markus’ arm as he started to turn around. “I need to know if she’s alright.” Connor could feel his LED spin an angry and upset red. But there was nothing he could do about it. He needed to _know._

“Who?” Markus glanced at his LED before making eye contact again. “Connor, who is ‘she’? Is someone you know supposed to be here?”

“Chloe…” Connor muttered, he started to play with the seam of the beanie at the back of his head. His mind started to become clouded again. No, no he couldn’t panic again, he needed to help Markus. “Chloe… Is she alright? Chl-- The ST200.”

  
  


Markus didn’t understand, he didn’t know what was going on, but he nodded anyway. Connor felt relief wash over him with such force his knees buckled beneath him. Markus managed to catch him and set him down on the ground softly. Connor’s chest started to heave and he clung to Markus for support. He hugged him tight, it was something that seemed to ground him. Connor could feel the soft rise and fall of Markus’ chest, the steady rhythm of his thirium pump, could feel that he was really actually there. Tears threatened to spill, but he blinked them away. He took a deep breath and let go. Markus looked worried, he followed Connor’s gaze wherever he looked. Almost as if he could feel the same invisible Elijah Kamski with a gun that Connor could.

Markus stood up, and gently helped Connor up as well. He put an arm around Connor as they walked back to the main area. Neither of them spoke a word. Markus must have understood in some way, he must have had his own trauma. Maybe it was from CyberLife, maybe it was something else. In all reality, it wasn’t any of Connor’s business. But he did hope that if Markus was comfortable, that one day he might share that information with him. The thought warmed Connor. Actually. He did feel awfully cold without Niles. Though it was probably just his code trying to adjust to the fact they were no longer sharing a body. But Connor swore that his heating systems weren’t working like they should have, it felt like they were malfunctioning almost. Or maybe he had become accustomed to Niles’ heating system, so now his own almost felt foreign. 

Once they got back to the main area though, Connor saw Chl-- _the ST200_ looking their way. Connor wanted to stop. He wanted to turn on his heel and go back to that small room. But Markus’ arm kept him in place. Subtle, but strong. He forced his legs forward anyway. He wondered if she was one of their leaders, Jer-- Markus seemed to have three other androids he worked with as leaders. He wondered if he was considered one of their leaders. It might be best if he wasn’t, considering all the wrongs he had done to them. To his own people. But when he glanced at Markus, who caught his eye and smiled just a little bit, he thought otherwise. Markus must have been scared that the deviants wouldn’t trust him again. They must have thought he let the revolution get snuffed out. When in all actuality, he fought and ran for his life to help create it anew. If they could trust Markus again, then maybe they could trust Connor.

  
  


“Everyone, I’d like to talk to you.” Markus sat Connor down on an old crate. He stood up on another crate himself, and continued to speak once the others had gathered around him. “I know you may not completely trust me, and I honestly don’t blame you. You saw me as someone who could make a difference, someone who could lead our people to freedom,” Markus looked down at Connor. “Someone who would keep you out of harm's way and stand beside you in times of hardship. You must think that I’ve made a mistake, bringing the famed Deviant Hunter into our place of refuge. 

“But I promise you on my life, on the life of the human man who taught me to live, Connor is one of us. He’s fighting just as hard as we are. I understand if you do not trust him. But if you don’t trust him, then please trust me. He’s staying, he’s helping, he wants us to gain our freedom and rights just as much as we do. He has vital information regarding CyberLife and their locations. Their shipyards, their warehouses, places we can gather numbers and supplies. You don’t have to like him, but know that I trust him. If you don’t trust me, I understand. But I will not leave your sides until I’ve died or we’ve won. We can make this work, but only if we have Connor’s help. I ask that you trust us, _please.”_

The ST200 stood up, she shook her head and shouted up at Markus. “I saw him shoot my sister, I watched him act like it never happened! He killed her!” She glared at Connor, freezing him in place. He immediately started to cry. He was scared. Though she did not falter, she turned back to Markus and cried at him. “He’s a murderer! How can you trust him?!”

“He saved my life. He could have let his brother kill me, but he stopped him.” Markus stepped down from the crate and walked up to the ST200. He offered her his hand, his synthetic skin pulled back to reveal the white plastic underneath. “I can show you. I can show you how he and his brother are now our allies.”

“Bullshit!” She slapped his hand away and started to shake. She stomped over to Connor, he started to curl in on himself. He put his arms up in front of himself, ducking his head behind his knees. He was prepared for her to hit him. He wouldn't have blamed her. He killed her family. “You let a fucking murderer into our hideout! You let CyberLife’s _lapdog_ into the place they want to find the most! You let him infiltrate Jericho!”

  
  


Connor was _gone._ His panic came back full throttle. He curled up on the crate, laying down and hugging his knees to his chest. The world felt like it was spinning, he couldn’t tell where Markus’ voice was coming from. But he sounded upset. Why was he upset? That ST200 was right. Elijah Kamski had given him a direct line, he had become the CEO of CyberLife again. What if he was a sleeper cell? What if Kamski planned on using him and Niles for CyberLife? To get rid of the remaining deviant androids, to hunt down Markus and get rid of him. Connor could feel his legs moving, he could barely register where he was going though. All around him hung the word _Jericho_ suspended in the air. The giant rusted letters threatening to crush him again. 

He fumbled with a door. It was familiar, but he didn’t exactly know why. He just knew he was in the place that another android died for. He felt it again. The searing hot pain in the hollow of his jaw ripping up through his head. He felt that android die again. And again. And again. And again. Connor felt like he was dying. He felt like his wires were snapping. Connor screamed, static shredding through his voice and corrupting it. He screamed and he cried, he howled apologies and swore at himself for his mistakes. For his sins. Connor felt like he was feeling nothing, but like he was feeling everything. Every sensor was analyzing everything, but his systems were on the fritz at the same time. He couldn't see, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t feel. He desperately hugged his arms around himself as he sobbed. It wasn't the same, it did nothing to soothe him, Niles wasn't on the other end of those arms. He leaned forward, his beanie slipping off his head and onto the dirty floor. 

_WARNING: THIRIUM LEAK DETECTED_

_LOCATION: UNKNOWN_

_TIME UNTIL FULL REPAIR: UNKNOWN_

Connor grabbed the beanie as thirium spilled out of his mouth. He was scared, that had never happened before. It dripped down his chin and mixed with his tears and rust on the ground in front of him. He coughed and sputtered, it wasn’t normal for that to happen. But he knew he deserved to lose as much thirium as possible. He didn’t deserve to stick around Jericho, he wasn’t good. He was never good. He was the lesser of two evils, he was the kinder approach to CyberLife committing genocide. The thought of assisting genocide made a wave of...something...roll through his body, and more thirium spilled out of his mouth. 

Connor shook uncontrollably and coughed, the world was starting to get more out of focus. Warning signs popped up around his vision, he was almost dangerously low on thirium. Maybe it was better that way. He dragged himself over a few feet to lean against a wall. The world was hazy, dream-like almost. Everything he heard was muffled beyond understanding. He swore he saw Markus bust into the room, but he wasn’t sure. There was someone else with him. Tall and a lot paler than Markus. Whoever it was stepped back when they got close to the puddle of Connor’s thirium, and fell flat on their backside. Markus hoisted Connor up, carrying him a lot like he carried Hank that night he found him with a revolver in his hand. Markus started to drag him out of the room. Connor held tightly onto his beanie in his hand, he rubbed at the fabric and his head fell forward. Thirium still dripped out of his mouth, he could hear the other person stammer. They must have never seen that much thirium in a puddle before.

  
  


_“Connor!”_

  
  
  



	23. You Left Me With a Lingering Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is also from Paint by The Paper Kites!!
> 
> this is another filler chapter by the way!

_November 22nd 2038 6:00 AM_

  
  


The soft glow of the small galaxy on the ceiling was what Niles first saw. It was almost unnoticeable due to the sunlight spilling into the room through the curtains, but still visible to the keen eye of the RK900. Niles stretched out, holding the bear in his left hand and up above his head. Once satisfied, he got up and out of the bed and made it. He almost forgot he had the bear in his hand, it had such a nice feeling to the fur that he nearly didn’t put it down. But he eventually set it down on the pillow and made his way out of the small room. He could hear noises in Hank’s room, so it was likely Niles didn’t need to get him up. He hummed to himself quietly, seeing as he didn’t exactly know how. But he tried nonetheless. He found it quite fun. 

Niles went into the kitchen to start up the coffee maker. Hank was absolutely going to have coffee, Niles could hear him pacing from about midnight to nearly two in the morning. He went into the cabinet and looked through a selection of mugs. He wanted to pick one with character to it. He glanced in the sink and silently swore. That puppy emoji mug would absolutely be what he’d pick if it wasn’t dirty. But no matter, Hank had quite the mug collection as it was. Niles was sure he could find something the old Lieutenant would find amusing. One caught his eye immediately. It looked just like the mug Aziraphale used for cocoa in the _Good Omens_ miniseries. Niles gently grabbed it by the tiny wings and set it down on the counter. It was actually quite cute. If...If a mug could be considered cute. Niles shrugged gently and gathered the creamer and some sugar. If he was being honest, he didn’t actually know how Hank liked his coffee. He had never watched the man make it. But he had watched Gavin Reed, and Hank seemed amused by his choices. So it wouldn’t have hurt to try making it the same way Detective Reed did, Hank didn’t seem to mind. He probably wouldn’t. Right? Niles didn’t exactly have to wait to find out though, seeing as he heard Hank leave his room and walk into the kitchen. 

  
  


“You makin’ coffee? Shit, is there anything you can’t do?”

“Well I can’t engage in sexu--”

“Jesus Christ! No, no thank you. Don’t talk about that, it’s too damn early.” Niles smiled at Hank apologetically as he went through the freezer and pulled out toaster waffles. Which caused Niles to raise his eyebrows and point at them. “Listen, it’s better than not eating anything. At least I’m listening to you when you tell me to eat now.” 

  
  


Niles shrugged and nodded. It wasn’t like he was wrong. He had reprimanded Hank many times over the last few days for barely eating. Niles was always dismissed with a wave of his hand and tasked with picking something up from a nearby cafe. Not that he minded, Connor seemed to have some sort of effect on how Niles saw Hank. He was beginning to think it wasn't just because of Connor though. It might’ve just been himself. But speaking of, Connor usually was awake by now. Why hadn’t he gotten up when he heard Hank and Niles?

He almost wanted to use it as an experiment, see if he could annoy his brother awake. But he froze in place when he saw the blanket folded on top of the couch. When he saw Connor wasn’t laying there. Niles’ thirium pump started going faster as he spun around, Sumo’s leash was still up on the counter. Connor must have gone to take him on a walk without it since no one would be out at that hour. But he couldn’t help the cold that seeped into his chest as he bolted for Hank’s doorway, ignoring the questions and swears from the man. Niles gripped the door frame, Sumo was laying at the foot of Hank’s bed. Asleep. Now starting to panic, Niles ran back out into the living room, scanning the room looking for any sign of Connor still being there. 

The door was unlocked. 

His shoes, coat, and beanie were gone.

_Connor was gone._

_He left Niles alone._

  
  


_“Hank!”_ Niles nearly crashed into the man. “Hank, Connor’s gone!” 

  
  


Hank wasn’t facing the couch, so he stumbled a bit when he got up and went around the chair. Niles saw his heart rate pick up considerably once he looked at the couch, heat draining from his body. Hank ran his fingers through his hair and ran back into his room, he checked the bathroom, Niles’ room. But Connor was nowhere to be found. Hank stood aimlessly in the middle of the hall, before glancing into Niles’-- _Cole’s room._ He took a deep breath and pressed one of his hands against his face, he mumbled something that he probably thought Niles couldn't hear. 

  
  


“I lost another one. I can’t believe I lost another one.”

  
  


Hank then took a few more deep breaths and let his hand fall to his side. Niles was in front of him in three long strides, and put his hands on his shoulders. It was odd, but Niles was moving before he could even register it. He pulled Hank into a hug, holding him there while he tried to shove Niles off. But Hank eventually stilled and patted Niles on the back. He let go then, and scanned the room. There were no signs of Connor being there other than when he brought Niles into bed. 

_When he said he loved him._

  
  


The only other time Connor told him that was after he had scared Niles. After he had that argument with Hank. He should have known. _He should have fucking known._ Niles knew Connor loved him, the way he hugged him said that. But Connor wasn’t one to say it out loud. To actually utter the phrase. Niles’ audio receptors started to pick up every little sound, causing a pressure to build up in his head. His processors were almost having a hard time keeping up with the flow of information. He quickly moved to sit down on the bed, holding the bear in his hands and drawing circles in its fur with his thumbs. His thirium pump wouldn’t slow down, which caused other internal processes to speed up as well. His fans couldn’t keep up, and he started to overheat slightly. 

_WARNING: STRESS LEVELS AT 89%_

He could see that! He could see that his stress level was almost getting dangerous! But everything was too loud, he couldn’t think. It almost hurt, it was so loud. A small creaking sound to his right brought him out of his own head. Niles looked over to see Hank sitting next to him. He looked like he didn’t want to be there, his stress levels were just about the same as his own. Which comforted Niles just a little bit. Knowing that his reaction wasn’t entirely irrational. He noticed Hank looking down at Niles’ hands, at his thumbs making patterns in the bear’s fur. Hank put a hand on Niles’ back and rubbed it gently. Niles slouched just slightly, he wasn’t aware his shoulders had such a tenseness in them. He didn’t expect any less from Hank though, he was a Lieutenant after all. But his gaze never left Niles’ hands. He was about to ask what Hank thought was so interesting, but he spoke up himself. 

  
  


“Cole used to do the same thing,” Hank whispered, almost like he didn't trust himself to actually speak. “He loved to stim. He was such an energetic kid. Couldn't focus on anything other than what he liked for shit, you know.”

“It sounds like he might have had ADHD, or something similar.” Niles whispered just as quietly. “Did he have it? Do...I have it?”

“He might’ve, he was too young for anyone to really tell yet.” Hank half frowned, maybe they had difficulty getting a proper diagnosis. “I don’t know, son, I don’t know.” Hank sighed and stood up. “Maybe you react similarly? You’ve got all those sensors an’ shit in ya. You can probably get sensory overloads just like he did. He didn’t like certain feelings.”

“Did he like the fleece blanket? It’s very soft, very squishy and pleasing to mess with.”

“You know,” Hank chuckled gently and turned to face Niles, looking back down at his hands. They hadn’t stopped playing with the fur. “It was his favourite because of that. He loved his blue blanket but...but that fleece,” Hank made an almost choked sound. “I can’t tell you how many times I had to wash that thing because he dragged it with him and Sumo in the dirt.”

  
  


Niles nodded. Children were little germ monsters. Always getting dirty and coming home covered in muck. But Niles smiled at the thought. A younger Hank with Cole, hoisting him up on his hip and carrying him in. Getting covered in dirt and grass, but listening enthusiastically to whatever Cole had to say. Maybe a tiny Sumo would trot into the house behind them. It was a nice sentiment, something he found himself desperately wishing Hank had experienced. He could keep wondering about that for hours. Or...he could ask the man. He almost did, but the slight shake of Hank’s shoulders made him decide against it. He didn’t want to send his stress levels through the roof. 

  
  


“Hank,” Niles set the bear down, and Hank’s eyes finally left him. “What do we do?”

“What do you mean? We wait.”

“No, we can’t wait.” Niles shooed him out the door, and back to his now cold coffee. “Connor had plans to find the Deviant Leader, to find Markus, as soon as he got his body back. I thought he was going to wait because we played games last night but--”

“Niles,” Hank didn’t sit down. He didn’t move. But there was something in his eyes that commanded respect, that forced Niles to listen to him. “We. Wait. You don’t go after him, you don’t contact Kamski, you don’t leave this house.”

“But the DPD--”

“Fuck the DPD!” Hank shouted suddenly, causing Niles to jump slightly. This didn’t go unnoticed by Hank. “Shit, I’m… I’m sorry Nines. I just-- Listen to me. He must have had a reason, otherwise he would tell us. We wait for him to fucking tell us something. Then you can go after him.”

“When you said I can’t leave the house… Does that include going to work?”

“You’re damn right it does, I can’t have anyone figuring out you’re deviant.” Hank sighed and made his way to the bathroom. “Connor didn’t get this far to keep you safe, just for you to go and be put in danger the second he’s not there. Stay home, Nines. I’m gettin’ in the shower, I’ll just say that you’re at CyberLife for updates or somethin’.”

  
  


Niles nodded and went to make Hank a new cup of coffee. The soft digital light from the clock told him it was 6:34 AM. What would Connor do if their situations were reversed? Niles didn’t need to ask himself that. Connor would go right after him, and wouldn’t tell Hank. Technically, Niles _was_ deviant, which meant he didn’t actually have to listen to Hank. But he also absolutely wasn’t going to get on the man’s bad side. He seemed to view himself as a father to him and his brother, which was nice, but Niles just couldn’t bring himself to bring Hank any more grief. So instead, he would stay home. Niles sighed and dumped out the cold coffee into the sink. He busied himself with washing both mugs, not even realizing the water was too hot for his synthetic skin. It was stupid. He should’ve been able to go after Connor, he was even pretty sure of his exact location. Niles lathered soap on a yellow sponge and started to wash the mugs. His mind wandered as he scrubbed at them. 

Would Connor wash dishes? Probably, he was pretty responsible. When he wasn’t running off in the middle of the night. Okay, so maybe Niles was bitter. Actually no, he wasn’t exactly bitter, but he was hurt. Connor sent him to bed, tucked him in even, and said he loved him. Then had the audacity to just up and _leave?_ Niles heard a small creak, and noticed he was gripping the edge of the sink enough to put indents in it. He let go quickly and finished washing the mugs. He’d have to let them air dry, seeing as he couldn’t find a dish towel. That was okay with him, he could look through Hank’s mugs again. This time he picked out a red ceramic travel mug that said _“Läche! Du kannst sie nicht alle töten.”_ in a speech bubble coming from a sheep. Niles smiled at it, it must have been a gift to Hank. He highly doubted that the man actually knew German, let alone that his mug actually said _“Smile! You can’t kill them all.”_ Niles set the cup down on the counter and reached for the corresponding black cover. He would have to ask Hank if he knew what the cup actually said on it, or if he just kept it because of the sheep. 

Once Hank was dressed and ready to go, Niles handed him the cup. Hank thanked him and went to grab Sumo’s leash. He still had some time before he had to leave, it wouldn’t hurt to take his own dog on a walk. Niles offered to go with him, he wanted to talk to him about what the cup said. Niles saw the slump of defeat in Hank’s shoulders and smiled when Hank told him to put his coat and shoes on. Once outside, Niles took a deep breath of the cold air. He wasn’t overheating anymore, but the cold air still felt nice on the parts that weren’t exactly cool yet. He spoke up after a few minutes, telling Hank about what the cup said. The man’s eyes widened considerably and he stopped walking for a second. Hank chuckled and explained that Cole saw it in a store one day, and wouldn’t stop talking about how a sheep was talking in German on it. Eventually Hank broke and he got the cup because Cole was so enthralled by it. Niles pictured a young boy being held by his father, looking at store shelves and bouncing excitedly about the red cup with a sheep. He stayed silent for the rest of the walk. He wanted to ask more about Cole, wanted to see Hank smile because of his son. But he also knew it wasn’t exactly his place. So he was quiet until they got home. 

Niles caught his CyberLife jacket when Hank tossed it to him from the car. He had almost forgotten about it. He liked his peacoat, it was much softer and more aesthetically pleasing to him. Niles went back inside and hung up both coats, and set his shoes by the door. He sat down on the couch, scratching around Sumo’s ears when he padded over. He was going to be so incredibly bored. Is this what Connor felt like when he was stuck in Niles’ code at work? He wouldn’t wish this kind of boredom upon anyone. He could play more Mario Kart 64, or maybe even Conker’s Bad Fur Day. But it just didn’t seem...right to. He played Mario Kart _with_ Hank and Connor. He _watched_ Hank play Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Niles sighed to himself and leaned back on the couch, patting it in an invitation for Sumo to hop up with him. The giant of a dog leapt up and laid his head in Niles’ lap. It made him feel just a little less alone. He petted Sumo for a little while before realizing. Hank wasn’t home, he couldn’t parent Niles if he wasn’t there. Niles didn’t have to listen if Hank wasn’t there to enforce what he said. 

“I'll be back soon, don’t tell Hank I left.” Niles kissed Sumo’s head quickly as he stood up. He swiftly went into the kitchen to fill Sumo’s food bowl, and get him fresh water. “I swear I’ll be back, don’t you worry. You can’t tell Hank!” 

  
  


Sumo walked over to his food and water bowls lazily, not even looking up at Niles. He watched the dog from where he stood for a minute. He didn’t have a care in the world. He didn’t even know that society as people knew it was about to change forever. Niles smiled as he patted Sumo’s back. What was he saying, “don’t tell Hank”? Sumo was a _dog,_ he couldn’t tell Hank even if he wanted to. Or if he even understood human speech other than the tones of voice. Niles shook his head, he couldn’t think about Sumo all day. He rushed over to the door, putting on his peacoat and shoes. 

_November 22nd 2038 7:29 AM_

“Don’t worry Connor,” Niles muttered as he stepped out the door. “I’m coming to help you.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact about Hank's german sheep cup! I actually have that, my brother got it for me a few years ago!!
> 
> I also want you guys to know that I absolutely am reading all your comments, I love reading them! But I also don't trust myself not to accidentally spoil something if I respond. So I see your comments, and I love them, I love you guys for commenting!! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)


	24. Inside Was an Ocean of Soul and Emotion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from iRobot by Jon Bellion!!

_November 22nd 2038 12:58 PM_

  
  


Arms, a chest, rocking, mumbling, soft crying, tears hitting the top of his head. Those were the things that Connor registered when his systems came back online. His face was pressed into their shoulder and his eyes were closed, he wasn’t sure if he could even open them. He also couldn’t quite move because his limbs felt so heavy. But he was being held up against someone’s chest, they were rocking from side to side and muttering under their breath and crying. Connor couldn’t make out a voice, it was breaking even at such a low volume. But whoever it was...they sounded terrified. But why were they afraid? Also, why was it now afternoon when the last time he remembered was just about 2:00 AM? He felt his LED swirl yellow for a few seconds as this mystery person rocked him. Then it came flooding back to him, he twitched just slightly. He couldn’t exactly move, so he couldn’t see what was going on around him, but whoever was rocking him froze. They were perfectly still. So it had to be an android. That made sense, he was with Markus on the boat earlier. It must have been Markus holding him. 

He went back to rocking Connor when he realized he wasn’t going to move again. Connor hated to admit it, but he liked the feeling of being held by another person. He felt awful that Markus probably thought he was dying. He could hear Markus’ thirium pump, it was steady, but a little fast. It suggested he was scared. Given the current situation and what just happened to Connor, he believed it wholeheartedly. Connor’s face was pressed into his neck, his forehead touching the edge of his jaw. It was still a point of contact, so he tried to interface with him. It took a little bit, and he struggled with coming up with any connection at all. But a weak signal connected Connor and Mar--

  
  


_“Connor?!”_

  
  


The connection severed, and Connor realised who was holding him. He started to cry, he didn’t have enough energy to even shake from the force of his tears. The arms wrapped tighter around him. Niles hugged him closer. The tall and pale person who was with Markus when he found Connor. It was Niles. Why was Niles there? It wasn’t safe for him, he needed to leave. That ST200 was going to target him too if he wasn’t careful. In all honesty, Connor was scared of her. He knew he shouldn’t have been. But she was a ghost of his past mistakes, and she exclaimed the one word he couldn’t hear. He was afraid of what she could do to him. She was angry with him, she wanted her own kind of revenge. It scared Connor. 

Niles ran a hand through Connor’s hair, effectively soothing him. Not that he had much of a choice due to the weakness in his limbs, but he leaned into his brother. Connor could hear footsteps and managed to open his eyes. Over Niles’ shoulder, was Markus. He was pacing back and forth. He stopped when he went to go back, when he made eye contact with Connor. He rushed over, exclaiming that he was awake. Connor could hear multiple other pairs of footsteps and see a few people. The TR400 kneeled down and smiled at Connor before ruffling his hair. Connor’s LED flickered to blue for a split second before going back to yellow. Markus seemed to click the pieces of information together. Blue LED from positive physical contact. Markus sat down on the floor with Niles and started rubbing Connor’s back gently. His LED faded to blue, and he closed his eyes. 

  
  


“Give him space, he lost a lot of thirium. He’s going to be disoriented so be gentle with him.” Markus’ hand slowed slightly as he spoke. “How are you feeling, Connor?”

_“Tired,”_ Connor tried to establish a new connection with Niles. _“And scared of that ST200 if I’m honest.”_

“Tired and frightened.” Niles spoke up, voice sounding almost hoarse. He must have done something to strain his voice bank. “Is there anywhere we can be alone until he recovers?”

  
  


Markus must have nodded, because no one said anything else. Instead, Niles put one of his arms under Connor’s knees and stood up with him. He followed Markus and carried Connor down a few halls. He watched Markus open a door and gesture inside. Niles nodded to him, and then sat on the floor inside of the room. He held Connor in his lap and sat there silently. Connor looked up at his face as best he could, and saw silent fear etched into his features. Niles seemed to be deep in thought, because he didn’t notice Connor forcing a hand up until it was already on his cheek. His silver eyes glistened and widened a fraction as he looked at Connor. Niles smiled gently before tears started to spill, falling into Connor’s face. Niles tried to wipe them away, but he just kept crying. He grasped Connor’s hand in his own and held it up against his cheek. Niles was scared. 

Connor smiled as best he could for his brother. He was lucid now, so that was an improvement. He went to open his mouth to speak. But...no sound came out. Was the part of him that was leaking his voice bank? He instead opted to sigh gently through his nose and close his mouth. This was going to be very inconvenient for everyone involved. Connor did manage to start to sit up himself, and he hugged Niles around his neck. Connor exhaled out a small contented sound as Niles ran a hand through his hair and buried his face in his neck. The action seemed to calm Niles enough that he stopped crying. Connor pulled away for a second, tapping his wrist to indicate he was asking for the time. 

  
  


“It’s 1:12 PM, Connor. What’s the last time you remember?”

_“Just about 2 AM…”_ Connor’s brows furrowed, had he really been asleep that long? Had his outburst and thirium leak really caused him to go into forced shutdown even longer? Wait. When the hell did Niles get there. _“Niles, when did you get here and why didn’t you stay with Hank?”_

“I got here around 9 AM, about twenty minutes after you ran away from Markus. I helped him find you. Hank...kind of told me to stay home.” Niles brushed Connor’s curl out from his face and bit his lip gently. “But Connor, he was worried sick when we didn’t find you on the couch. Why did you leave?”

  
  


Connor shook his head and looked away from his brother. He didn’t really want to talk about leaving. It was almost for naught now, he supposed. Him leaving was supposed to keep Niles and Hank safe. It was supposed to keep anyone from getting suspicious. A new revolution was risky in and of itself, but throwing in an android who is constantly worried about their family? That was so much worse. The focus wouldn’t be on the mission. Connor’s focus wouldn’t be on the mission. How the hell could he assist if he wasn’t functioning at full capacity?

A soft warmth came to Connor, familiar and inviting. He looked back to see Niles’ synthetic skin pulled back, eyes closed with brows furrowed in thought, and a small plea of acceptance. He wanted to interface, he wanted to show Connor something. Presumably the morning’s aftermath of him so carelessly leaving in the night. Niles placed his hand on Connor’s, squeezing gently to ask again. Connor let him in. He let Niles show him that morning’s events. It rushed by in a blur of sounds and colours, sending Connor reeling and gripping Niles for support. But the phrase Hank uttered. It chilled him to the bone. 

  
  


_“I lost another one. I can’t believe I lost another one.”_

  
  


Connor repeated the words back to himself soundlessly. His lips moved gently, slowly. Almost as if he couldn’t understand them. But the fact of the matter was that he did. Connor knew exactly what Hank was talking about when he said those words. Regret pushed its way to the front of his thoughts. It pushed its way to his eyes, escaping through his frustrated tears. Connor forced a sound to come out of his throat, it sounded angry and strangled, but it was a sound nonetheless. Niles hushed him gently. But Connor didn’t want to be held anymore. He didn’t want to sit in his brother’s lap on the rusty floor of that damn freighter. He wanted to get on with this damn revolution. 

Putting his hands on Niles’ shoulders, he scooted himself out of his brother’s lap and onto the floor. Connor’s limbs were shaky. Fuck it, the world wasn’t going to wait until he felt better. The world was going to crush him under it’s heel the first chance it got. So Connor forced himself to stand, and put a hand out to Niles once he was somewhat steady. Niles looked unsure, looking from Connor’s hand to his face. He chose to take Connor’s hand, but used his own strength to lift off the floor. They emerged out of the room just as Markus went to go inside. Connor accidentally smashed his face into Markus’ shoulder, he likely would have fallen over if the latter hadn’t pulled him close. Embarrassment settled into Connor’s face as he quickly pulled himself away. He needed to stand tall. He needed to take care of himself. 

Markus said nothing as he held out a bottle of thirium. He only smiled gently and tilted it more towards Connor when he didn’t take it immediately. Connor tentatively took the thirium in his own hand, and signed a quick “thank you” to Markus before twisting the cap open. Within a few seconds it was gone and his systems were thankful for the new supply. As was Connor himself, he felt a bit stronger on his feet. Markus nodded swiftly and then led the three down a few hallways before getting to the main area. It was quiet, save for the crackle of the fires. The few other androids, Connor immediately noted the absence of the ST200, gathered around Markus once he sat down on a crate. He smiled apologetically at the brothers, before speaking with each of the others. Connor let his synthetic skin slip back and he held Niles’ hand gently. 

  
  


_“You should go home.”_

_“It’s going to be a few hours until Hank gets home, I’ll be fine. You need me more.”_

_“Niles,”_ Connor turned to look up at his brother. His eyes were steely, Niles didn’t want to leave. _“You need to go. Go home, stay with Hank. You know I’m okay now, so go make sure he is too.”_

_“_ _I…”_ The mention of making sure their father figure was alright made Niles’ face screw up in conflict. Connor could practically see the gears turning in his head. Well, if there were any in there. _ “  _ _Maybe I can just call him. I want to stay. I want to help.”_

_“Niles, I’m doing this so you don’t have to. Go home.”_

_“No.”_

  
  


The connection was severed by Niles pulling his hand away, and sitting down on a crate right next to a flaming bin. Niles was really becoming the stubborn brother, wasn’t he? That would end up making things harder for Connor. For the revolution. He couldn’t get distracted by his little brother possibly getting hurt or worse. Connor rolled his eyes as hard as he could and stood awkwardly out in the open. Markus was busy being a leader, Niles didn’t seem to want to talk to him anymore. So he went to explore the boat. 

He peeked in doorways and tapped on the walls to hear how they echoed. The walls were less than stellar, the whole vessel was, but the walls were almost scratchy under his hand. He didn’t realize how deep in the ship he was until he changed his optics’ settings and engaged in his night vision protocol. The walls actually were scratched up. Connor traced the markings with his fingertips, his sensors trying to analyse them as best they could, but the markings were just too old to get anything from. The lack of information was irritating but not entirely useless. Those marks mean that someone had been there before he was. Albeit they were there a very long time ago, but they were still there. Connor found himself tracing the lines in the wall as he walked. There were loops and curves, as well as jagged edges and the straightest of lines. It could have been a pattern once. But his advanced optics only showed a scratched up mess displayed before him. 

_THIRIUM LEAK FULLY REPAIRED_

The notification got blinked away, seeing as Connor was almost in a trance-like state. Trying to decipher the markings on the wall. Trying to understand them. Maybe there was nothing to them, maybe everything was to them. Either way, they got less meticulous and more feverish as he walked down the hall. More like a desperate attempt to escape. What if someone was forced down there? What if they were trapped? Connor found himself running. He wasn’t entirely sure why, it wasn’t as if he knew whoever could be down there. The marks twisted and swirled against the wall, around corners and up on the ceiling. The markings led to a door. It was well rusted, the paint having fully been chipped away. Having been forgotten by the sands of time. Feeling bold, Connor took ahold of the door, twisting the mechanism that would open it as hard as he could. A strong, and familiar, set of hands were placed beside his own to help. Together, they forced the door open. 

A cold blue light spilled out of the doorway. As the door opened further, a small _tink!_ noise sounded, and a circular object came rolling out of the room. It hit Connor’s shoe and fell to the floor. Exchanging a soft sigh with his companion, he knelt down to pick it up. It had dirt and dust on it, but it was still easily recognizable. It was an android’s discarded LED. Connor stood back up and handed it to Niles. He turned it over in his hands and then simply held it. The blue light made him look somber, it made him look otherworldly even. Like the light coming from the room was from their own galaxy, made from their own little glow in the dark stars. Niles nodded to Connor once before pushing the door wide open. 

Piles upon piles of android paraphernalia was strewn about. That included android parts. The armbands were still on some arms. The LEDs were still in a couple of heads. The neon lights from the clothes danced and shined off of the brothers’ faces as they walked forward. Nothing moved, no head spoke, it was still. It was like a snapshot of a scrapyard. It was like a trainwreck, it was gut wrenching but they just couldn’t bring themselves to look away. The sickening amount of body parts, the cold glow of armbands, the stale scent of thirium. 

Connor was the first to show an outward reaction. He backed away slowly, reaching behind him for the door. The sight was horrifying sure, but he needed to show Markus. He needed to let him know that they had their very own android graveyard. It looked more like a gas chamber that was never cleaned out, more than anything else though. The arms still held themselves like someone was clawing at something. Blue blood spattered against the walls, long since evaporated but it’s ghost still there. The sheer amount of body parts. Another android had to have done all of it. 

“Niles,” Connor’s voice was almost metallic, static ran underneath it from his fear. “We need to get Markus.”

“Agreed.” The two started to make their way out of the room. But Niles grabbed Connor’s wrist before he could get too far past the doorway. “Are you alright? That was rather...gruesome.”

“I’ll be okay, right now we just need to bring this to everyone’s attention.”

  
  


Niles didn’t let go of Connor’s wrist as they walked. Through the connection, they could feel each other's unease. Connor held his head high and tried to be as comforting as he could for Niles. As they walked back, Connor could slowly feel the courage replace fear in his brother. Niles let go of Connor once they got into the main area. Markus was swivelling around, the previously RK900’s jacket threatening to fall off form the force. He adjusted it, pulling it up close to his cheeks and pressing the fabric into them, and turned to the hall. Before anyone could say anything, Markus bolted for the two and hugged them close. 

  
  


“Connor! I was afraid you had run off again! Are you alright, is everything okay?”

“I-I’m alright Markus,” The room’s focus was now on Connor. He realized this was it, this was how he was going to show the others he could be trusted. By telling them the truth right then and there. “But there were others in the boat who were not.”

“I don’t understand, what do you mean?”

“We found… We found things, Markus. Something you need to see.”

  
  


The three went down the halls, Connor holding Markus’ hand so he wouldn’t trip over anything. It seemed that despite being an RK unit, he didn’t have night vision. Connor started to wonder how else he and Markus differed. Connor could see his profile in the dark, his brows knit together and his lips in a thin line. He held the edge of the jacket’s sleeve tightly in his other hand, Niles’ hand atop of it to guide him further. Niles stepped back a bit and had him feel the wall. Markus’ eyes went wide as he stopped to grope at the wall, trying to feel for something unknown in the darkness. His face fell as he traced over them just as lightly as Connor did before. The three stood there as Markus felt the markings. Connor noticed that Niles had let go of Markus completely, while he himself was still holding his hand. It felt...nice. The physical contact was nice. 

  
  


“Markus...we need to keep going.” Niles gently took his hand away from the wall and tugged him forward. “It’s not too far, just around a few more corners.”

“I want to feel them.” Markus took his hand back from Niles and placed it flat on the wall. “I want to feel this as we walk.”

“Very well, then I’ll walk beside Connor.”

  
  


They kept moving in the dark. Markus’ footing was a bit unsure without Niles’ steady hand to guide him, but he moved forward almost as if he could see. The reached the door, still left mostly open, light spilling out into the hall. Niles was the first to walk in. He gestured for the others to follow him. Connor went to let go of Markus’ hand now that he could see, but Markus’ loose grip became ironclad as he started to see what was in there. So Connor still held his hand as he walked inside. Markus’ movements were slow, methodical. His eyes illuminated by the light shone brilliantly. Connor felt every emotion as it passed over his face, the last one it landed on was disgust. Markus was angry. But he was afraid. 

  
  


“Markus? Are _you_ alright?” Connor held his hand a little tighter and stepped closer to him. “We need to tell the others about this, they need to--”

“No.”

“What? What do you mean _‘no’_?”

“I mean no, Connor,” Markus turned to face him, blue light catching and bouncing off of his blue eye making it look like it was glowing. “No one can know about this. It will only serve to terrify them more than they already are. They can’t know about this.”

  
  
  



	25. So We’ll Just Keep Each Other as Safe as We Can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Run by Daughter!!

_November 22nd 2038 2:34 PM_

  
  


Niles stepped forward, hands placed behind his back much like when he was still only a machine. There was a hardness in his eyes. What was once a gentle blue glow softening his features, now cast exaggerated shadows across his face. His LED flickered between yellow and blue. The circle spinning and blinking with his thoughts. He gently grasped Markus’ upper arm and shook his head. Markus stood his ground though, he didn’t want any of the others to know. 

  
  


“Markus?” Connor squeezed his hand once before turning to look at his brother. “I think we should tell them. They have a right to know what happened.”

“We don’t know what happened. For all we know, this could have been CyberLife.”

“Actually.” Connor shot a quick message to Kamski detailing the information and sending everything he could about the room. “I just asked Kamski about it. We can expect an answer back within the day.”

  
  


Markus seemed unconvinced, and even perturbed by the mention of Elijah Kamski. But he nodded and let the brothers guide him out of the room. Niles closed the door behind them, and then held Markus’ free hand to guide him through the almost suffocating darkness. They walked in silence. The only sounds coming from their shoes against the metal flooring. Although there was barely any real sound, they could each hear their companions’ buzzing thoughts. Markus was upset, rightfully so, but had accepted that telling the others was the right thing to do. Niles was stoic as ever, but still held an edge of anxiety at the prospect of going home and telling Hank he left. Connor was thinking about Sumo. 

Niles and Markus stopped and sent quizzical feelings through their codes to Connor. Who simply shrugged and gave them both memories of how soft and cute the dog was. Niles nodded in understanding, a soft smile on his face. Markus laughed gently and accepted the memory with gratitude. Connor and Niles continued to exchange memories of the dog, Markus getting caught in the middle. Though Connor could feel that he didn’t mind. In fact, the deviant leader quite enjoyed playing through the fond memories with the brothers. Connor shared his favourite last, even saying that it was his favourite. It was watching Niles interact with Sumo for the first time. 

  
  


“You two really are brothers, aren’t you?” Markus smiled as they let go of his hands and let him enter the main area. “It’s...a nice change. To have some sort of family staying here.”

“Aren’t you an RK model as well?” Niles asked, tilting his head to the side, a knowing smile on his face. “Because Connor and I are.”

“That we are! Markus, you’re an RK200. Since I’m an RK800 and Niles is an RK900…” Connor grabbed Markus’ hands in his own and winked. “That makes you our brother, does it not?”

“I…I guess it does.” Markus seemed unsure. “Is that alright with Sumo and Hank?”

“If it isn’t, they’ll have to deal with it. C’mon,” Niles waved his hand dismissively and then started to drag Markus and Connor to the center of the area. “We’ve got an announcement to make, remember?”

  
  


Connor could feel Markus’ anxiety, his fear, his hesitance. But only saw him clench his jaw and nod. He let go of his brother’s hands and watched as he stepped up on top of a crate. Markus began to speak, to describe the horrors of the room they had found. There was one person missing. The other four were all accounted for. The AX700, the AV500 named Kerrie, the TR400 who ruffled Connor’s hair, the WR600. Connor didn’t see the ST200, the Chloe that watched him shoot the other one at Kamski’s house. Part of him was thankful. She genuinely scared him. But...he must have also genuinely scared her. Shooting someone in cold blood like that. The thought made him shudder, catching Markus’ attention for a second. 

After he finished speaking, Markus hopped down from the crate. His given RK900 jacket fluttered behind him. Connor thought it was cute. His brother-- _Wait a second._ Markus was the oldest. Connor wasn’t the big brother anymore! He was the middle child! Connor squinted at Markus as he walked up. He liked being the big brother…

  
  


“Are you okay?”

“A little bitter, but I’ll be okay.”

“What do you have to be bitter about? You’ve got two brothers now.”

  
  


Connor mumbled about being the big brother under his breath. He must have looked like an upset toddler. His shoulders brought up and his arms crossed, a slight pout to his face as he looked anywhere but Markus. Markus did seem to share the enhanced audio receptors though. Unfortunately for Connor. He chuckled gently and put an arm around his younger brother’s shoulders. Man, Connor was going to have a bit of a time adjusting to being the middle child. He was also the shortest, just to add insult to injury. 

But he liked Markus. He really did genuinely enjoy his company so far. Which absolutely meant that he was going to mess with him like he did Niles. Connor just needed to find the right thing to bother him with. After staying with him for a while, Connor expected he should be able to playfully torment his... _older_...brother. Besides, it was going to be another day before they could actually go down to the docks and raid them. It would do Connor some good to somewhat relax. It would do everyone some good. He leaned into Markus’ side a little bit, relishing in the fact that he hadn’t pushed him away. Connor let Markus drag him around the main area while speaking to the others. None of them seemed to mind Connor’s presence either. Honestly, Connor was too caught up in realizing that Markus was now the Big Brother instead of himself to really listen to what he was saying on that crate. He guessed that Markus must have told them that he and Niles discovered the open mass grave. Hopefully it wasn’t phrased quite like that though. But Markus had quite the way with words, so Connor let his worries slip away. 

  
  


\---

  
  


_November 22nd 2038 9:02 PM_

  
  


Through the cracks in the hull, there was only darkness. Night had fallen on the bustling city of Detroit. By that time, Niles had already called Hank, who Connor swore he could almost hear yelling even though Niles’ head. Also by that time, the ST200 hadn’t returned. Connor was tempted to go look for her. _Tempted._ But he did not. If she wasn’t there, it was likely for a reason. The reason was likely Connor. 

He got up from the chair in the small almost office space and looked out over the main area. He wanted to imagine it as bustling, much like the city it had been stranded in. It was a comforting thought. Maybe once it had been busy. From his perch he could see Markus speaking with the TR400. Connor really needed to learn their names. It would be more personal, more comforting to know them by their names. There was that android named Kerrie, but who was to say they even liked that name? Maybe they chose a new one at some point. It brought a smile to Connor’s face. That would be quite the form of self-expression, and a big _fuck you_ to CyberLife. He hoped that Kerrie liked their name, whether it was what was on their name tag or not. A soft blip in the corner of his vision brought his attention elsewhere.

  
  


_INCOMING MESSAGE:_

**_“It’s nice to know you’ll use this channel when you need it. As far as I know, which expands to everything this company does at all times, that mess wasn’t CyberLife. It must have been a previous tenant of Jericho.”_ **

_“Kamski, I appreciate you being thorough, thank you. But please refrain from referring to the boat by name.”_

**_“Alright, is there anything else you might need Connor?”_ **

_“Just to know when other shipments are coming in that CyberLife won’t miss.”_ _  
  
_

**_“Give me dates and locations, and I can make it happen.”_ **

_“Got it. I’ll compile a list and send you the coordinates. I don’t have any exact dates, but we’re looking to raid the docks nearest to my location tomorrow night.”_

**_“Done and done, no one will be there aside from myself. I’ll be sure to lock down that dock for you. I need to go, endless work to catch up on from my time away as the CEO. I certainly didn’t miss that. Be careful, son. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”_ **

  
  


It was a little warm in the office space. It was really warm in the office space. Connor felt like his insides were doused in gasoline and someone tossed a lit match inside of him. His hands trembled at his sides, and he desperately searched for Niles and Markus down below. His worried eyes landed on Markus, who seemed to look up just at the right time. He sprinted up the stairs, dragging Niles by his coat’s collar when he passed him. Connor hated being a handful. He hated that he panicked. He wanted to tear out the part of him that felt the bullet go through his head. He barely registered his knees hitting the floor, the shouts of his brothers calling his name, Niles’ arms around him in a hug. 

Connor knew he was crying, but he couldn’t feel it. His eyesight was blurry and hazy, but he couldn’t feel the tears falling down his face. He could barely see past Niles’ shoulder anyway. The beige fabric pressing against his face and serving as something to help ground him to reality. Connor let out a strangled sound. A cross between a sob and a shout. Connor could see it scared Markus. He hated that, he hated the fear. He hated the boat. He was scared of the boat, he wanted to go home. He wanted to pet Sumo and fall asleep wrapped in that light blue blanket. 

A soft hand ran through his hair, and Connor felt his LED flicker from dark red to yellow. Along with the soft hand was a soft voice. It spoke about colours and painting, about canvases and a paint shop. About the different kinds of paints, and how oils take the longest to dry. How acrylics can be hard to work with sometimes. The voice recited colour theory, rambled on about tints and shades. They certainly were not the same thing apparently. Tints were the lighter ones, like highlights. Shades were the darker ones, appropriately named because of shadows and such. A disgruntled comment about how the word _ombre_ is literally just French for “gradient” and that it made no sense why people were utterly obsessed with the word in the late 2010’s. A very, _very_ disgruntled comment. 

Connor’s LED faded to a steady blue as he focused in on the words, on Markus’ words. He smiled as Markus got a bit heated about the _ombre_ thing. Given the fact that he was made to work with the police and had no knowledge about colour or painting, Connor took his word for it as he slumped against Niles. He sighed contentedly and interfaced with his little brother. He was okay, he wanted to listen to Markus talk about art for a little while longer. Niles snorted as a laugh and told him they could sit there a little longer. Markus seemed so engrossed in the colours that he didn’t notice. Or maybe he did, and he was just too riled up to care. Either way, Connor quite enjoyed listening to him talk about art. 

  
  


“I hate it. I really do think that I actually hate the word _ombre_ at this point. Carl used to-- Carl used… Carl…” Markus’ words faded as he seemed to remember something that he didn’t let the others see. “He used to use it, and it got on my nerves so badly. But I didn’t say anything because I couldn’t. I also didn’t want to take away from his enjoyment of the painting.”

“Why don’t you tell him after we win?” Niles’ voice was just as soft as his. Hesitant. Worried. “You can go see him and tell him how much you hate it.”

“I wish I could. But I don’t think he wants to see me.”

“He does,” Connor rubbed the remaining tear tracks away from his cheeks and sat up. He offered a hand, synthetic skin pulled up to his wrist. “I can assure you that, even if you had left him yelling and screaming. If he was the human man who taught you how to live, he’ll want to see you again. Trust me, Markus.”

  
  


Markus took Connor’s hand in his own. His face turned into one of pain when Connor showed him the rooftop, but into one of overwhelming love when he showed him Hank saying the two brothers were his sons. Markus smiled softly, letting his head hang low, and thanked Connor. He felt it was the least he could do. Comfort his brother when he needed to. Niles and Markus had both done a lot to comfort him already. Connor noticed Markus didn’t let go of his hand yet, so he tugged him down on the floor. Markus sat with him and Niles. He was rigid, like he didn’t know what to do. Niles rolled his eyes, and grabbed at both Markus and Connor, dragging them towards himself in a hug. 

It was awkward for all of them at first. But Connor was the first to melt and wrap his arms around his brothers. He sighed gently and rested his cheek against Niles’ shoulder. He went slack in his arm and let himself be held, his LED resting at a contented light blue. Next it was Niles who relaxed. He held Connor and Markus just a little tighter as he leaned into them both. He rested his cheek against Markus’ head. Which caused Markus to finally slump forward and let himself be held. He was basically pressed between the two twin models, wrapping his arms around them and grabbing handfuls of their coats in an almost death grip. Other than his hands, he was completely lax, totally at ease. The three of them stayed like that for a while longer. Markus’ grip on his brothers slowly loosened, and eventually his hands fell, arms still wrapped around Niles and Connor’s shoulders. Connor took note of his vitals. His thirium pump was slowed, his internal fans were as well. He tried to interface with him gently. But was met with soft nothingness. Markus fell asleep. 

  
  


_“He likely hasn’t slept to recharge in at least a week and a half.”_

_“I know, I’m concerned. We need to let him rest a while. Are you okay with sitting here with us?”_

_“Of course I am, you two need me.”_ Niles gently rubbed at Connor’s back as he thought through the interface. Connor could see memories of him and Niles interacting. _“ But what is it with you and adopting brothers within a few days of knowing them?” _

_“What can I say, I’m quite the charismatic person.”_ Connor let one of his hands fall on Markus’ shoulder, also rubbing at his back. It seemed the younger ones were comforting the older ones today. _“What did Hank say when you called him?”_

_“A lot of quite fowl language. He’s angry that I left, but relieved to know you’re safe. He’s going to be pissed when you get home.”_

_“Let him, we’re making history and changing the world for the better.”_

  
  


Markus made a small noise in his sleep, one that Connor couldn’t help but smile at. He wasn’t aware of androids being able to dream. But there was that one instance where he and Niles met in that blizzard. So maybe androids could sleep, Connor breathily laughed to himself at the thought of electric sheep. He doubted Markus was dreaming about sheep, but maybe of a peaceful revolution. He could only hope. Connor glanced over to Niles, he had felt him grow calmer through the interface. Lulling into an almost sleep-like state kind of calm. Niles’ eyes were closed as his cheek was pressed against Markus’ head. Connor committed that moment to his permanent memory storage. His brothers nearly fast asleep in a pile on the floor. 

It was dingy and dirty, rust covered the ground in a thin layer. But Connor looked around them and saw warmth. The four androids could be heard chattering amongst themselves down below. It was almost homey. Connor tensed up a little bit when he heard a fifth voice, a familiar voice. But if she was there then that meant she was safe. He would avoid her if he needed to, she needed distance. She didn’t trust him, and that was okay. He didn’t expect her to. Connor relaxed again and let himself fall into the pile his brothers had made with themselves. It wouldn’t be very comfortable in the morning, but it would be okay. He’d still wake up with family. Connor closed his eyes, a loose and carefree smile on his face. Tomorrow was when the real fun began. He knew they couldn’t hear him, but Connor whispered to his brothers as he started to fall asleep as well.

  
  


“I love you.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, this is likely to be on a small week long hiatus seeing as I'm getting tattoos on my wrists tomorrow!! It's gonna be pretty difficult to write with them healing, so I hope you guys don't miss the fic updating too much!!!


	26. I Believe, I Believe, We Can Write Our Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Born For This by The Score
> 
> Hey guess who's wrists still work despite getting painful tattoos on them yesterday!! Looks like there might not be a hiatus after all!!!!

_November 23rd 2038 6:30 AM_

  
  


Niles gently shook Connor and Markus awake, the latter groaning and then sitting up straight. He stood up and fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket. Markus quietly thanked the twins for letting him sleep for a while, and then went on his way. The two smiled and watched him scurry down the walkway. They both knew Markus was a tad embarrassed. Though it was to be expected in a way. He had led a revolution before. While he did have three others by his side, it didn’t seem that he was big on physical affection. At least not in front of others. He must have known that they got killed, and it must have put him off from physically interacting with others. Unless he didn’t realise it of course. Connor didn’t really think Markus noticed how touchy he was with him the previous day. Maybe he did though, maybe it wasn’t for _only_ Connor’s benefit. 

It didn’t really matter what his stance was on physical affection though. They were going to go down to the docks that night and gather supplies. With Kamski vowing to be there himself, they might even have new allies. Android, human, it didn’t really matter at that point. They needed numbers, they needed new people. Fellow deviants needed to know that their safe haven was still intact. That they still had somewhere to go. 

“Connor?”

“Hm?” Connor detached himself from Niles’ hug and slowly stood up himself. Despite not needing to, he stretched his limbs and swung them around a bit. Man, Hank really did rub off on him. “What do you need?”

“I need to...go. Hank called, he can’t lie for me twice. They’ll know I’m not at CyberLife eventually.”

“And by ‘they’ I assume you mean Detective Reed?” Connor let the detective’s name roll out of his mouth with slight venom. He really didn’t appreciate how he treated his little brother. “You can probably get Kamski to tend to you specifically. You’re a special model that’s out for a trial run. Just contact him and say you need him to give an alibi.”

“True, I could do that. But Detective Reed will also get suspicious if I don’t come in for multiple days at a time.” Niles stood up and gave Connor a quick hug before starting to leave himself. “I’ll be back tonight. Don’t leave without me. I can’t let you and Markus have all the fun, now can I?”

  
  


Connor let a small laugh bubble out from his chest and he shook his head. No, he supposed he couldn’t. He did think Niles would be vital for the revolution. It was only fair to let him in on... _the fun_ as he called it. Connor went up on his toes and hugged Niles around the neck quickly, before shooing him away. He had his own things to attend to anyway. But he did linger up in the office space for a little bit, watching Niles go around and say his goodbyes before placing a hand on Markus’ shoulder and leaving. Once he was gone, Connor’s eyes caught the ST200’s down below. She stared up at him with...something. It wasn’t exactly easy to see with the dim light. Even in that dimly lit freighter, he could see that her face wasn’t covered in malice. He didn’t know what it was...but it wasn’t terrible. Against his better judgement, he found himself moving. His hand went to the back of his head, looking for his beanie. Which if he was paying any attention to Markus running a hand through his hair last night, he would have known he wasn’t wearing it. But he also didn’t really know where it was. 

It wasn’t like it was the most important thing in the world. He did really like how it brought his whole look together though… Maybe he should ask Markus where it might be. Connor nodded to himself, a small smile on his face, and he made his way downstairs. He caught Markus just as he was passing by, asking about his beanie. By some goddamn miracle, Markus had it in his back pocket and handed it to him. Connor beamed and thanked Markus profusely. The action made Markus smile warmly and he placed a hand on Connor’s shoulder before walking away wordlessly. Alright, beanie now secure on his head, even with his stubborn little curl tucked in, he felt confident enough to talk to that Chloe. Of course it made fear flutter in his chest. A cold hand grabbing at his thirium pump. But if either of them were going to get used to seeing the other, they needed to clear the air. Now was as good a time as any, seeing as she didn’t look at him with complete and utter contempt. 

Once he stood before her, any words he might’ve had faded away. Instead, he just looked at her. She was wearing a pair of jeans that were a little too big and a little faded, a dark green shirt that was also too big and knotted at the bottom, she also wore a black and grey flannel with a puffy black vest over top of it. If Niles thought Connor looked frumpy, then he was almost worried to know what word his little brother might use to describe her wardrobe. As Connor gathered himself he found that he was thinking she was pretty with her hair cut short like that. It almost looked like the haircut that one AX400 he chased across the highway had. But he could think about pretty hair later. He needed to talk to her before she decided he was creepy for staring. Before he could though, she stepped forward. Her movements were a little odd. Like her calibration was off. 

  
  


“I look a lot different than the last time we saw each other, I know.” Her voice was sweet, like what Connor imagined honey would taste like. “It’s okay, I still have a hard time believing it’s me, too.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I never should have done that. I’m so sorry, Chloe.” Apologies forced themselves past his lips and tumbled around until the words weren’t real. Connor felt his LED jump right from blue to a solid red. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to see that, I never should have done that--”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have seen that.” Chloe stepped even closer to him, just about a foot away. Connor saw her eyes flit past him for a second before locking back onto his face. “You deserve bad things, Deviant Hunter. But… But you deserve good things, too.”

“What?” Connor felt himself shake slightly, he hadn’t expected that kind of response. “I… Thank you. But why?”

“Well Markus just gave me a _look_ ,” Connor smiled just slightly, looking down at the ground. Chloe put a hand on his cheek and made him look back up at her. “But you also really do deserve good things. You’re trying to right your wrongs. I can respect that.”

  
  


Connor leaned away from her touch and she lowered her hand a little bit. He...wasn’t comfortable with that yet. He wasn’t completely opposed to gentle touches, certainly not. He hugged his brothers quite often, he was used to Niles holding onto him. But a stranger touching him, gently caressing his face, was a bit much for him. Chloe seemed to realize this and her hand dropped back to her side. She didn’t smile, but she did nod to him. Chloe backed away a few steps, and turned to her own devices. Connor turned away himself, going to look behind him. Markus was indeed standing a little ways away. While he didn’t look too invested in what Connor was up to, it was still obvious he was listening in. Apparently he took the role of big brother very seriously. 

It was sweet, really. The fact that Markus had remembered Connor’s reaction-- Well it would be pretty hard to forget. He sort of did curl up on a crate crying before sprinting down halls and then panicking so much that he coughed up thirium. He still didn’t understand how that happened. But the fact of the matter was that Markus truly did care for Connor. This time Connor believed it. He was hesitant with Hank, he was slightly unsure with Niles. But Markus? Connor knew from the second he saw him after his first panic attack in the boat. He knew Markus cared about him. Which, and he knew he was like this, was impressive because of how dense Connor could be. 

He was tempted to go and talk to him. About the docks, of course. While Connor would have loved to go and idly chit-chat with Markus, he needed to update him on the docks situation. Inform him that Kamski was going to be there with the things they need. Markus was a leader of a revolution again, he didn’t have much time for socialization. Which Connor vowed he would make sure Markus relaxed every once in a while. But until Markus would let the twins hug him until he fell asleep again, Connor had to step up as his right hand. It was odd to think about. Being the right hand of a revolutionary leader. What he wouldn’t give to just use his right hand to pet Sumo. But he would be able to do so soon enough, they just had to make a stand again. This time would be different. It would be better, it would be easier, it would be _right._

Connor brought back his synthetic skin to his wrist and walked up to Markus. The TR400 he was talking to ruffled Connor’s hair through his beanie, causing him to chuckle lightly. Connor liked this TR400 quite a bit, he needed to figure out what their name was. They walked away after saying they’d talk to Markus later and giving Connor a wide smile. Yeah, Connor liked them a lot. But he wasn’t there to make friends. Well, that would be nice, he would need his own friends besides his family. But he could do that after they won. Connor stuck his hand out to Markus, saying that he had information about the docks. Markus immediately took his hand and nodded as the information transferred over. He could have just said that Kamski would be there. But there was no telling how Chloe would react to seeing him again. 

Once Markus was all caught up, he nodded and patted Connor’s shoulder. Connor grasped Markus’ hand still, and requested to interface again. He raised a brow, but accepted. 

  
  


_“Are you alright with Niles and I physically interacting with you?”_

_“Of course I am, we’re family now.”_ Markus squinted at Connor’s hand. It looked like he was trying to convince himself more than Connor. _“I’m fine with it.”_

_“Markus, I mean it. If you’re not, we’ll stop.”_

_“Connor,”_ Markus looked up at Connor, his heterochromatic eyes almost burnt holes into Connor’s skull. _“I’m okay with it. I’m just...not the best at reciprocating. I like the hugs, the holding hands, it keeps me grounded. It keeps my focus on why we’re doing this.”_

_“Are you sure? Absolutely positively sure? Because if you’re not--”_ _  
  
_

_“Connor!”_ Quite the exasperated smile played on Markus’ lips. _“I am sure. I’ll let you know if I’m not comfortable. It’s...a little weird, even to me, but being hugged until I fell asleep was...nice.”_

_“Niles is coming back tonight to assist us with taking everything back to the boat.”_ Connor patted Markus’ hand with his free one. Markus jumped slightly, not expecting the touch. _“You need to sleep tonight, I can feel how low your energy levels are right now.”_

  
  


Markus only nodded. He let his face relax, let his hands fall from Connor. Since they were androids, it was quite difficult to see just how tired he was. But Connor could see the exhaustion in his eyes. They were half-lidded, and his hands even moved slower. It was evident that he didn’t get enough sleep last night. He didn’t get enough of a charge. But that could be taken care of later. A lot of things could be taken care of later.

  
  


\---

  
  


_November 23rd 2038 7:58 PM_

  
  


Connor and Niles sat crouched down behind some containers. They were at the front of everyone, considering they were initially made for police work. Also the fact that Niles was made for military-grade combat. The group sat silently behind them, waiting to move when they did. As soon as Connor saw Kamki step out of an automated car, he stood and calmly walked over. Niles quickly followed suit. Though he told the others to stay put. Hushed objections and criticisms followed them both as they stood before their creator. 

Kamski absolutely beamed when he saw Connor. His grin, somehow, widened when he saw Niles. The twin models looked between each other and then moved forward. The three of them spoke, Kamski quickly becoming serious and nodding. He had brought cases upon cases of spare parts, dozens of boxes containing thirium, some manuals to repair any androids possibly damaged. Though, the pièce de résistance, were three giant transport trucks that stood parked in the lot. Kamski made a grand sweeping motion with his arms and told the brothers to go take a closer look. Though before they could get very far, Kamski grabbed Connor’s arm and told him to go get Markus. That he should see. 

Markus apparently heard him, he made his way over to his brothers and stood tall by their sides. Kamski smiled. It wasn’t...entirely convincing. It looked almost like a smirk. One that Connor didn’t entirely trust, and caused him to step in front of Markus a little. While Markus was the oldest, Connor just couldn’t help his older brother instinct. Kamski seemed to take note of how defensive Connor got, and then quickly wiped the smile off his face. 

  
  


“Right. Markus, Connor, Niles, you’re probably not going to be entirely happy with me right now.” He started walking toward the transport trucks, motioning forward with his hand to indicate he wanted the brothers to follow. “I may or may not have taken a whole bunch of androids off of the assembly line. Brand new and waiting to be put up in shops. You’re going to need numbers, wake these people up and take them with you.”

“You…” Markus’ hands balled up into tight fists at his sides. “You think you can just say we need numbers and expect to take these androids with us?”

“I expect exactly that, Markus. If you’re going to make a difference, then you’ll need enough people to spread the word.”

“Then wouldn’t we just need half of these people?” Niles stepped forward, hands behind his back. His LED flickered between yellow and blue. He was nervous. “If we want word to get out that the boat is still a safe haven, then we actually need word to get out.”

“That means we would need androids still in circulation with the deviancy code!” Connor clicked the information together and grinned at his little brother. Who sheepishly let a smile spread across his face. “We need to save as many androids as we can, but we also need to have others out in the world letting our people know the revolution is still strong.”

  
  


Markus stared at the three of them, eyes wide in shock and almost fear. Niles reached out for his hand, but Markus moved away. His eyes bounced between his brothers and Kamski and the trucks. Connor knew exactly why Markus was upset. Letting their people still be bought and purchased with the deviancy code was dangerous. They very well could die. They might spill innocent blood. Markus never wanted bloodshed before, so he certainly didn’t want it now. They were asking him to make an impossible decision in his mind. Let their people know the revolution was still alive, or throw away innocent lives. 

This time, Connor tried to take Markus’ hand. He twitched slightly, but let him take it. Connor didn’t try to interface. He didn’t try to convince him of anything. He simply held his older brother’s hand to comfort him. Markus’ hand relaxed a little when he realised Connor didn’t want to try and sway him either way. This caused Niles to try again, and Markus let him take his other hand. He sighed and nodded to the trucks. 

Kamski led them to the trucks, opening the backs of them with a scan of his palm. The doors slid open one by one and showed the mass of androids inside. They were standing straight up in rows, tightly packed in with their backs and chests practically touching. They were perfectly still. They were mostly models made for interacting with the masses. AV500s for customer service, CX100s for domestic assistance, GS200s as public security, JB300s as electronic operators, MC500s as paramedics, ST300s as receptionists, VB800s as salesmen androids, HR400s and WR400s as sexual partners. 

Connor let go of Markus’ hand, he could feel his brother reach out for him again a little, and stepped into the back of the truck. Connor took the first android’s hand in his own, an ST300, and he gently asked her to wake up. She blinked a few times before stumbling forward, babbling quickly about coming with the group back to the boat. Connor smiled and said she could come with them. She only needed to wait a little bit while he asked the others in the truck what they wanted. 

Connor went through the first three rows himself rather quickly. He asked each android what they wanted. If they wanted to help spread the word that the revolution was still happening, or if they wanted to come back to the boat. Many of them chose to work, to do what they were programmed to do, and spread the word. Connor turned back around after the first android he asked in the fourth row. Kamski was absolutely beaming, he was ecstatic. Markus was visibly proud as well, as was Niles. The two of them hopped into the backs of the other trucks and followed Connor’s lead. 

  
  
  



	27. Doubt Myself and I Don't Know Why

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Stay by The Score

_November 24th 2038 12:02 AM_

  
  


With a grand total of nearly two hundred androids, around ninety of them chose to stay with the others in the boat. Overnight their numbers had grown exponentially. Going from eight to nearly a hundred. With the others going to work the jobs they were made for, going to be purchased and mingle with society, there was no telling how many others they would have. Their numbers could almost triple within the week if everyone played their cards right.

“Kamski,” Connor sat on the ledge of the truck, gently swinging his legs back and forth. “We’re going to need clothes for them. I doubt they'd like to stay in their uniforms the whole time. Is there anything you might be able to do about that?”

“I might be able to pull some strings. I’ll see what I can do. Why don’t you go ask them? I’ll leave a few messages for some of my contacts while you do.”

“Alright. I’ll have the others ask as well.”

  
  


Connor slid off of the edge, and made his way over to his brothers. Markus was leaning on Niles, arms crossed and relaxed. Connor almost regretted asking for help with the questions. But it would take another handful of hours if he did it all himself. He tapped his brothers gently and asked them through their interface. Niles immediately stood straight and said he would help. Markus… He hesitated. Connor could feel that his energy levels had dipped below 40%, and he quickly said Markus didn’t have to help. That he should go sit down. Markus tried to protest, but Niles scooped him up and set him down on the edge Connor sat on not even two minutes before. 

The twin models then got to work. Going from deviant to deviant, asking who wanted new clothes and who didn’t. Each making a list of who wanted clothes. Taking notes of sizes and adding them to the list. After another hour and a half, they interfaced, Niles giving Connor his half of the list. It was...odd. Connor suddenly having so much responsibility. Not that he didn’t think it was… Well, he wasn’t entirely sure what he thought. But he could think about it later. He needed to send Kamski the list of how many androids wanted new clothes. Connor touched his fingertips to Kamski’s phone gently, and transferred the data. The man gently smiled and nodded to him. 

  
  


“I’m very proud of you, Connor. This is a lot to handle. How are you holding up?”

“It _is_ a lot to handle, though I think I’m adjusting efficiently.”

“You know you can tell me if you’re not, don’t you?” Kamski put his hands on Connor’s forearms and stroked them gently with his thumbs. Connor didn’t want to be rude and pull away, but he didn’t like the gesture. “If you ever need _anything_ just let me know. I’ll help you as best I can.”

“Okay.”

“ _‘Okay’_?”

“Yes; okay. I’ll contact you if need be. Now please let go of me, I’d like to check on Markus.”

  
  


Kamski released Connor with a slight shrug. He couldn’t help the little rush in his steps as he walked away. Yes he wanted to check on Markus, but he also really didn’t want Kamski touching him anymore. He thought it might be rude, the man _had_ given him his body back. But Connor was his own person now and he felt entitled to setting up his own boundaries. Boundaries that he let down for his brothers and Hank without question. For the people he loved.

He hoisted himself up on the ledge of the truck. Connor watched as Markus tiredly smiled at him. It was small, soft almost. The two of them sat there for a few minutes in a contented silence. They watched the new deviants mill around and meet the others. Eventually, Niles left the large group and sat down with his brothers. The three of them sat on the ledge watching the new deviants. Connor subtly put his hand over one of Markus’, he scanned him quickly and found his energy level had dipped to about 32%. Without thinking, Connor accidentally let worry run through the quick interface, causing Markus to pull his hand away. Niles put his hand on Connor’s back, he seemed to have noticed their interaction. 

  
  


_“We need to get back to the boat. Markus’ energy levels are critically low.”_

_“How are we going to get everyone back before sunrise?”_

_“Kamski will let us use one of these trucks if I ask him to. You carry Markus, and don’t let him go. He may be the oldest, but he still needs to take care of himself.”_

_“Got it.”_

  
  


Connor slid off of the ledge and jogged over to Kamski, telling him the situation and what they needed. The man nodded quickly and started coordinating everyone with Connor’s help. They managed to get everyone into set groups and then start up the trucks. Kamski was going to drive one truck, another was going back to CyberLife so the androids could be sold, and Connor was going to drive the last truck with his brothers in the passenger seat. 

Soon enough, everyone was in their places. Connor’s truck held most of the deviants coming to the boat and his brothers. Kamski’s truck held the remaining deviants as well as some going back to CyberLife. They drove back to the boat as fast as they could, while still upholding traffic laws of course. Connor was worried, yes, but he was still a police android at heart and couldn’t bring himself to break any laws unless someone was dying. Which, he didn’t want to think about it too much, Markus technically could have been. 

Every once in a while Connor would give them a sideways glance. Markus seemed annoyed. He looked like he didn’t want to be there. Well Connor didn’t care what he would’ve wanted right now, he just wanted to get everyone back to the boat. He wanted to get Markus back so he could make sure he’d sleep. Hell, Connor planned on pinning him down if he had to. That didn’t exactly matter though. What mattered the most was the present moment and how Connor planned on getting back. 

Everyone started filing into the boat, parting the crowd for Niles and Connor to carry Markus inside. Connor thought he heard Kamski shout after them but he honestly didn’t care. He and Niles were holding an increasingly tired Markus in their arms. Who, not so coincidentally, was also becoming increasingly annoyed with the two. Connor led the way to the small office space. It took a bit, but they were able to maneuver their way through the boat pretty easily in order to get there. Connor shoved Markus fully into Niles’ arms, and then ran out to the catwalk. He stood over nearly a hundred deviants. _Connor stood above a hundred deviants expecting him to tell them everything was okay._ He didn’t know how to do that. He didn’t know how to assure them Markus would be alright. He wasn’t Markus, he didn’t have the same way with words as him. But despite that, he took a deep breath and he spoke. Looking into the crowd the same way he had seen Markus look; _he spoke._

  
  


“I...I know you’re all probably very worried as to why we had just rushed the Deviant Leader himself into the boat. Markus isn’t… He’s okay! He just has an incredibly low charge and we want to keep an eye on him while he recharges. He should be alright. We all should be alright now.”

  
  


There were mutters amongst the crowd that threatened to knock Connor over. They came at him like he ran into a brick wall. He could feel a cold hand take hold in his chest. Though out in the crowd he could see Kamski looking up at him. Despite being on the fence about him, Connor found his eyes comforting. They weren’t the same blue as Hank’s, but they were the blue of a somewhat father figure nonetheless. Kamski nodded up to him and then went to leave. Connor wondered if Kamski knew it comforted him. Wondered if he knew he helped Connor find his voice again.

  
  


“None of you have to worry, Markus is going to be fine. We just want to be thorough and see that he is doing well with our own eyes. Markus is my brother now, and as his brother I assure you all; Markus is going to be _alright._ ” 

  
  


His second attempt was much more successful. The crowd started to nod and speak to each other instead of looking at him expectantly. Connor smiled and let out a shaky sigh. He went into the small office space to find Markus sleepily grinning at him. It must have been from what he said, or maybe how he said it. The conviction in his voice was evident, Connor knew that himself, but it must have told the others it was alright too. Niles slid to the ground with Markus, leaning up against the wall and extending his legs out. Connor sat on Markus’ other side. He didn’t waste any time leaning against Markus’ shoulder, and Niles wasted no time leaning against his other side. The brothers laughed. Real, genuine, true laughs. Ones that warmed their chassises and bubbled up out of them. Connor reached over and hugged Markus tight, Niles mirroring him. Tonight had been quite the success. As their laughter died down, Markus hummed gently. It certainly was a melody, one that Connor had heard before. Though he couldn’t exactly place it. It didn’t really matter though, nothing did other than the fact that they just helped so many of their people at once. 

Markus interfaced with them both, showing them paintings. He showed them an elderly man painting a gigantic blue piece. Music softly played in the background as he painted. The gaze left the man as they moved to a sink, piles of brushes scattered around it. Their hands moved to pick up a few new ones and wash them under the water. Thumb and finger gently and delicately working the paint out of the brown bristles. The man called for Markus, asking his opinion on that particular set of dark blue brushstrokes. They looked up at the painting and felt a smile on their face. Markus’ voice answered back that they looked nice and thought maybe more should go near them. They went back to washing brushes. 

  
  


“Was that…” Niles whispered, unsure of if he should even really ask. “Was that the man who taught you how to live?”

“Carl Manfred, yeah. He was like a father to me. I love him a lot.” Markus’ voice wavered a little, but he willed it to be stable. “I loved a few people before, you know. North, Simon, Josh. They were my friends. Well… Simon was… Simon was more. Or he could have been if--” Markus’ voice broke and he choked on his words. 

“Do you know what happened?” Connor really didn’t want to show him. But he could feel through the interface who Simon was. The PL600 that gave Connor his PTSD over the name of the boat. “Do you...want to know what happened?”

“I don’t… Do _you_ know what happened?” Markus’ expression fell as Connor nodded. “Then yes, I want to know. If you can show me, then please, do it.”

  
  


Connor glanced at Niles, who he knew couldn’t help him. But looking at his brother’s silver eyes comforted him. He then chose to show Markus what happened. Connor tried his best to only show him, to try and keep the actual feeling of the fear and bullet away from his processors. Markus’ head snapped up anyway though, and Connor knew that both he and Niles saw it. His eyes went wide and he stared into nothing. Then the tears fell. Then he curled in on himself and sobbed. Connor could feel how utterly torn apart he felt inside. While Connor had never experienced romantic love, he could almost imagine what it would have been like from Markus’ intense feelings. He had to let go from the hug because Markus’ emotions were so heavily influencing his own. 

Connor checked on Niles, who wordlessly sat with both of his arms around Markus. His eyes also stared into nothing. He just sat there, arms around Markus’ waist as he hugged himself around the knees. Connor withdrew himself. He did this. He made Markus feel this way. He reduced his big brother, who was a damn _revolutionary leader,_ to a mess of tears. Connor’s hands shook as he started to stand up and back away. Neither Markus nor Niles tried to stop him. He walked out of the office space and onto the catwalk. Maybe he should try talking to Hank about Markus’ reaction. He had experienced trauma before, he could probably help Connor figure out how to help his big brother. He had gotten his number from Niles through an interface, so it wouldn’t be too hard to get into contact with him. The phone rang through once, and Connor tried calling again. It rang through again, sending Connor’s thirium pump into an erratic pace. But he’d try again. He had to. This time Hank picked up. 

  
  


“Do you have _any_ fucking idea what time it is?” His voice was groggy, thick with sleep and with an edge of anger. “What the hell do you want?”

“Hank it’s me, Connor.”

“I know it’s you, Connor, the caller ID had your model number.” Hank yawned loudly and muttered some pleasantries to Sumo on the other end. “You do know that it’s, fuckin’ what, almost two in the goddamn morning? Somebody better be dying or something.”

“Ah, well, it’s the ‘or something’ part. I need your help with helping someone through trauma.”

“And you really think I’m the best person to ask?” Hank’s tone went flat. It was phrased as a question, but his inflection made it sound more like he was stating a fact. “Connor, I still haven’t completely gotten over throwing you off the roof.”

“But you moved past it with relative ease, Hank. I just--” Connor cut himself off as he looked back towards the office space. Through the windows he could see Markus looking up at him. It broke Connor’s heart so he looked away. “Please tell me what to do.” His voice was small, meek. He heard Hank sigh on the other end, and some fabric shift. 

“Tell me what’s goin’ on, son.”

  
  


Connor explained what happened as best he could. Hank was a human, he wasn’t going to understand interfacing. He wasn’t going to understand how everything transferred over. But he tried to convey everything that was going on. Hank tried his best to offer advice, admitting that he probably wasn’t the best person to ask, but helping anyway. It took a little while of going back and forth. Of Connor looking through the window and seeing Niles and Markus curled against each other, asleep without a care in the world. But eventually Hank had helped Connor come up with a way to talk to Markus and apologize for… Well, Hank wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. But Connor insisted he apologize because he technically was what caused Simon to get shot. Even if it was by his own hands. 

“Hank?”  
  


“Hm? What else ya got to drop on me at this ungodly hour?”

“Just that I miss you and I’m sorry I haven’t called sooner.” Connor played with the hem of his beanie at the back of his head. His voice got a little softer as he continued. “I mean it, I’m sorry. I l-- Hm. Thank you for your help.”

“S’no problem, Connor.” There was a beat of silence before Hank spoke again, sounding unsure of himself and his words. “I appreciate you comin’ to me for help. What were you gonna say though? You stopped yourself.”

“I was-- It was just that I-- I’m-- _Shit._ ” Connor pressed his hands against his eyes and tilted his head upwards. Hank chuckled warmly on the other end at the use of an exemplative. “I just wanted to say I love you and goodnight, I hope you sleep well.”

“...Connor, I--”

  
  


Connor hung up before Hank could properly respond. He let his hands fall to his sides and looked down below the catwalk. None of them had any idea what Connor had just done to their leader. He just hurt him emotionally. Connor was starting to rethink being the right hand of a revolutionary leader. 

  
  
  



	28. I Have None To Show To The One I Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Polarize by Twenty One Pilots

_November 24th 2038 2:25 AM_

  
  


Connor scanned the floor for that TR400, he wanted to talk to them. He caught their eye after a while and started to jog over. They met him halfway, both standing on the stairs. The TR400 smiled at him warmly in a way that told him everything was going to be okay. Connor opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He desperately wanted to be friends with this TR400, wanted their name so he could at least say he knew it. But he clammed up and couldn’t speak. They put a large hand on his head and rubbed at it. Connor was grateful and leaned as best he could into the touch. They chuckled deeply, a rough and gravelly sound. 

The two sat down at the top of the stairs together in silence. Well, relative silence. The buzzing of the new deviants filled the area. It was warm. Despite what just happened, it was warm. Connor found himself leaning more towards the TR400. It was a little loud now that there were roughly a hundred new residents. If he was to talk to the TR400, then he might not hear them unless he was close. 

  
  


“Hello, my name is Connor. But seeing as you were one of the first five, you already knew that. Do you...have a name?”

“No, but I do like the name Alan. I think that’ll be my name.” Alan glanced at Connor before nodding to the office space. “Everything okay in there? You rushed out like a bat outta hell.”

“I, uh, I think I made a mistake. One I’m afraid I can’t fix.”

“You said Markus was your brother, right?” Alan smiled as Connor nodded. “Then it should be okay. He’s already forgiven you once, how hard will it be to do it again?”

“I don’t know.”

  
  


They both continued to sit in relative silence for a little while longer. Connor drummed his fingers on his knees as people milled about. He wondered how long it would take Kamski to gather everyone’s new clothes, he was starting to get a little weirded out looking at all the glowing armbands. It reminded him of that room, their very own little junkyard. It unsettled him. But maybe he could figure out some of the mystery. He _was_ an RK800 after all, he was built for such a task. Maybe...maybe he could figure out who did that. Maybe he could figure out what was going on in the meantime. 

Connor asked Alan to tell Niles and Markus he was in the glowing room if they asked. Alan gave Connor an enthusiastic thumbs up, and said they would take care of things. Then down into the ship he went. He let his hand trail along the markings as he walked, feeling the grooves twist about. It was weird being there by himself. Sure he didn’t hear Niles follow him the first time, but he was still there. The walls threatened to close in on him as he walked. He felt so unbearably small in the boat by himself. His only companions were the creakings of metal, his footsteps, and dripping water. Connor wasn’t sure he wanted to go back in that room. He wasn’t sure he wanted to look at those body parts. But he pressed on just as he did the first two times he went down there. 

The rusted door stood closed before him, and all its horrors hidden behind it. He took a deep breath and pushed it open. The gruesome sight before him laid at his feet. He started crouching down and scanning the three heads that were on the ground. They belonged to vastly different models. As well as a few arms he found. Most of them were caretakers, some of them customer service, even a few body parts from HR400s and WR400s. Connor moved on to the glowing bands, he gently picked up a few of them. There was no way he could scan them to see who they belonged to. He glanced back at the heads, and picked open up that had belonged to a WR400. It looked just like that one that used to be Markus’ companion. Connor vaguely recalled her name being North. Though he couldn’t remember if he got that through the interface or if Markus might have told him. Either way, Connor assumed that was part of the reason Markus was hesitant about telling the others. He set the head back down gingerly, closing the eyes in the process. They deserved to look like they were only at rest. He did the same to the other two heads that were cast to the floor. They all deserved to be considered at rest.

Connor then moved on to the walls. Ghosts of thirium were splattered across the surface. Some were from thin and sharp angles, likely from a sharp object, some were big and lazy. The streaks of blue scattered across all four walls. Connor turned and pushed the door closed. On the back was a phrase. He didn’t quite understand it, but at the same time it took hold and rooted itself in his memory banks. Even if he were capable of forgetting things, he knew he would never forget the writing in blue blood.

  
  
  


_J̷̝̬̹͔̠̪̣͔̭̖̌̔̆͊͒͒̑͐̈́͒̄̓͐͒̆͂̿̃͘ẽ̸̡̛̛̹̑̇̃̈́̾̓̓͛͘̚͘r̴̨̖̫͚̣̗̲̪̻̟̻͍͖͓̻͙̺̻̗̾͒͗̅͗̑̓̉̾̒́͊̌̊̈́̃̾͜͜͝͝î̶̥̭̖̞̹̰̥̳̻̭̟̱̠̹̠͖̞͕̟̈́̅̓̍̊̅̀͘͘͘͜͠͠c̶̨̞͖̣̭̰̫̬̮͇̭̈́̍͒̌͋̚h̷͓͍̬͓͎̟͖̺͉̒̈̋ǫ̵̡̡̹͈͎͚̭̝͇̭̙̯̟͇̯͜ Stockpile_

  
  


Connor hastily looked up the definition of the word stockpile. 

  
  


_Stockpile: Noun_

_A large accumulated stock of goods or materials, especially one held in reserve for use at a time of shortage or other emergency._

  
  


What concerned Connor the most was the amount of spatter around the name of the boat. _Jericho._ Connor tried his best to get a grip, but the door was right in front of him. The text displayed for him to take in and frighten him. He wanted to look away, he needed to look away. _But he couldn’t._ Connor was trapped inside of himself. Watching the words spiral and twist, the thirium long since evaporated curling around itself to take a new shape. It taunted him, never settling on one shape until it landed on...a handgun. Connor clamped a hand down over his mouth and muffled a scream. It wasn’t as if anyone could hear him down there, but he still quieted himself. Reconstructions played through Connor’s head over and over again. Androids being pulled apart, heads getting taken off, arms being torn with enough strength to send blood flying against the walls. They felt like they were happening to Connor. His LED being ripped out and leaving a hole in his head. Someone squeezing down on his neck until it broke. His right arm being twisted behind his back until his shoulder joint cracked. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt it hurt it hurt ithurtithu _rtithurtithurt--_

Connor fell to the floor and forced himself to breathe. He knew he needed to stay grounded, he didn’t have Niles or Markus there. He pulled his beanie off and shoved it in his face. It was soft, slightly ribbed, it had a tag on the inside, it was squishy when all balled up like that, it smelled vaguely of spices. Most importantly, it was tangible. _It was real._ Connor nodded as he told himself it wasn’t real. Those things weren’t happening to him. He was safe. It was scary and he was afraid, but he wasn’t in immediate danger. Connor muttered and mumbled to himself about Sumo and Hank, about Niles and Markus, about the people he loved. He sat on the floor for a long time. 

It wasn’t quick, and it wasn’t graceful, but Connor did eventually stand back up again. He opened the door back up again, making a point not to actually look at it. He turned back around and looked at the mess. These body parts were meant for supplies. They were meant to be spare parts. That was what the damn word stockpile meant. So then why were there armbands? Why did an LED fall from a pile and hit his shoe when he first opened the door? He figured out one piece of the puzzle with ease. But so many other questions took the place of the first. It ate away at him. Who founded this as a safe haven, and who kept the armbands as mementos? The phrase was written in CyberLife Sans, so he was right initially about an android doing this. Maybe he could get more answers if he tried to reconstruct what happened. If he could just get it to slow down and if he could watch this time. It might be a lot of reconstructing, but he was willing to try. He opened his software and got bombarded with sketchy stick figures and polygons. There were...so...many.

He had a hard time keeping up with how many scenarios could have played out in that room. There was a considerable amount that suggested peace. That were slow and methodical. That implied whoever took those people apart in there had gotten permission to. But as the reconstructions went on, they got increasingly more violent. The android taking them apart got faster, more erratic. The android looked to be of average height, average build. However, they seemed to be built to have somewhat wider hips than Connor’s own. Maybe a feminine model was doing it. Though with no way to really find out, Connor would have to resort to asking the original five. He didn’t want to think that Chloe had done such a thing. But he also couldn’t entirely rule her out. She was one of the original five. 

Connor stumbled his way out of the room, not even bothering to engage his night vision protocol. He used the markings on the wall to guide him. It wasn’t fun going through the halls in pitch black darkness, but Connor honestly didn’t really care. He wanted to sit with Niles and Markus. His mind wandered as he walked, to Hank and Sumo mostly. He was sure the giant dog had missed him. Damn, Connor should have asked while he was talking to Hank earlier. No matter, he was probably going to go back home soon anyway. It wasn’t like he could stay in the boat without having _something_ happen to him or others. None of it would matter soon anyway. The revolution was going off without a hitch so far. Markus would be able to handle things once Connor wasn’t around to remind him of Simon’s death. 

Though simply for now, Connor emerged from the hallway and into the dim light of the main area. He must have looked like total shit. Everyone stared at him as he entered. Alan stood up from their spot at the top of the stairs, they looked ready for something. Connor managed a broken smile and walked up to them. They said nothing as Connor passed them and proceeded to the catwalk. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved they didn’t ask any questions, or if he wished they stopped him to ask if he was alright. He wanted to force himself to say the former, but...he did wish they asked him if he was okay. He didn’t think he was. 

Connor took a deep breath as he neared the office space. Niles sat against the wall, holding a curled up Markus against his side. A bittersweet smile played on Connor’s lips as he put his beanie in his back pocket and sat on Niles’ other side. The slight movement of him brushing against his little brother caused Niles to stir. He cracked his eyes open and hummed. Niles brought one of his arms away from Markus, and held it out as an invitation for Connor to hug him. He sat there for a few seconds. Niles rolled his eyes and grabbed Connor by his jacket, pressing him into his other side. 

  
  


_“I know he’d like to tell you himself, but Markus doesn’t blame you.”_

_“He should, though.”_

_“ It’s not a matter of should and shouldn’t, Connor. It’s one of could and couldn't.” _ Niles moved his arm and clumsily ran a hand through Connor’s hair. He shoved Connor’s face into the crook of his neck, earning a frustrated squeak from the older one. _“ He could blame you, but he doesn’t.” _

_“He should, I got his lover killed.”_ Connor huffed gently and looked at Markus’ sleeping face resting on Niles’ other shoulder. _“How are his energy levels?”_

_“ Too low for comfort, but not as bad as they could’ve been. He should be up to 70% if he sleeps through to around 4 PM.” _

_“I’m sorry that you had to see it.”_

_“I’m sorry you got PTSD from it.”_ Niles pursed his lips and paused for a moment. A flicker of a thought went through the interface, but it was too quick for Connor to understand what it was. Though it didn’t seem that Connor would have to ponder what it was. Niles pressed a quick kiss to the top of Connor’s head and then pressed his cheek on the spot.  _“It’s not your fault, Connor.”_

  
  


Connor let himself lean into Niles. Mostly because he had no other choice, seeing as Niles had him pinned to his side. He could feel Niles slipping back into sleep through the interface. Eventually, as Connor himself started to drift off, Niles was out cold. Connor sighed through his nose and tried to free himself from Niles. However, as it would turn out, he had an iron grip. Connor tried a few more times before ultimately giving up. He settled for crossing his arms and exasperatedly leaning against his little brother. 

It wasn’t all that bad he supposed. Markus could have said he wanted to kick Connor out of the revolution. He found himself willingly leaning into Niles, letting himself start to fall asleep. It absolutely could have been better. But it also certainly could have been worse. Connor completely ignored the little blue blip of a notification in the corner of his vision. It could wait. He was tired.

  
  
  



	29. They Can't Tell Me Who To Be, 'Cause I'm Not What They See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme) from Treasure Planet!!!!
> 
> Listen it's my favourite disney movie, it's criminally underrated, apparently it was supposed to have a sequel but thAT NEVER HAPPENED, so it was only a matter of time before I put in some sort of reference to it

_November 24th 2038 3:45 PM_

  
  


“Thank you, Alan, I’ll be sure to tell them when they wake up.”

“No problem,” There was a pause, shuffling of feet. “Is he gonna be okay?”

“He’s scared Markus is upset with him. Once he sees that he isn’t, everything will be alright.”

  
  


Alan’s heavy footsteps left and Connor opened his eyes. Connor gently rubbed at them and swung his legs over Niles’, effectively trapping the younger and keeping him from moving. Niles chuckled lightly and ruffled Connor’s hair. Which caused him to smack at Niles’ hand with his own. Niles started vigorously, but still not too hard, patting Connor's head. Connor tried to wiggle away, but Niles withdrew his other arm from Markus and used it to pin Connor to the wall. He pressed his hands against Niles’ face and tried to push him away. It only succeeded in tilting his head back and made him grin. A soft noise sounded from next to the brothers, but neither of them paid any attention. Niles was too busy trying to annoy Connor, and Connor was too busy being annoyed. Niles snickered and started to mess with Connor’s hair. This sent him flailing and weakly whining that he liked his hair the way it was. 

If Connor wasn’t still adjusting to being awake, he absolutely would have started to pat Niles’ cheeks with the same amount of tenacity. But he was still waking up and thus unable to enact his revenge. Which, Connor wholeheartedly believed, Niles took advantage of. His shit eating grin was what gave it away. Niles was enjoying messing with Connor. He guessed it was to be expected because he bothered Niles before. But it still wasn’t really fair because he was pinned to the wall. So Connor started smacking Niles gently. He was starting to wake up more, so it was the only logical conclusion to make. _Obviously._ Connor patted Niles’ face quickly and erratically. Niles tried to pull his face away, but he could only go so far due to keeping Connor against the wall. It was Connor’s turn to have a shit eating grin. 

  
  


“You know that old meme about brain cells? Yeah I have all of them right now and I don’t know how to take it.” Markus’ sleepy voice could be heard beside the two of them. Causing the twin models to flail and separate from each other. “Why am I the responsible one when all three of us are together?”

“Because I’m the youngest, I have an excuse. Connor’s the middle child so he gets looked over. Mostly because he’s short.” Connor lunged at his little brother, pushing him to the floor and sitting on his chest, vigorously patting his face. 

“I’m not short! You’re freakishly tall!” Niles went to try and push him off, but only succeeded in making them both roll over. “Markus and I are above average height!” Markus sighed and scooped up Connor from the floor. He dragged him away a couple feet, trying to avoid all the flailing limbs of the twins. 

“You two are literal children, I swear.”

“Hey Markus,” Niles could barely hold back his laughter. “How do you feel about the beautiful _ombre_ sunset tonight?” 

“First of all,” Markus dropped Connor to the ground and had to take a deep breath. “It’s not even sunset yet. Second of all, I can now completely understand why Connor was so quick to fight back.”

  
  


Connor felt Markus put a hand on his shoulder, he left assuring messages through the interface. He was having two conversations at once. Markus was starting to rant at Niles about the word _ombre_ again, and he was sending Connor kind words. He really didn’t blame him. Markus didn’t… Markus wasn’t upset with him about Simon. But that didn’t make any sense, he caused Simon’s death. 

  
  


_“Connor, relax. It’s not your fault.”_

_“I killed him.”_

_“A bullet killed him, you were still controlled by CyberLife. They killed him. Not you.”_

  
  


A blue blip faded in and out at the corner of Connor’s vision. Right, he had gotten a notification early that morning. It could have been Kamski with an update on the clothing situation. Connor opened it and leaned away from Markus’ touch. It was, in fact, Kamski on the clothes. He did what he could, and he should have everything within the next two days. The message detailed a drop off area as well as clear instructions for only the RK Brothers to gather the supplies. It raised a few red flags, but nothing too serious could come of it. How bad could it really be? Kamski seemed to view himself as a father to androids, there was no way he would put them at risk. In some unhinged and twisted way, he loved them like a father would his children. It wouldn’t be bad. Kamski probably just wanted to talk to them one-on-one. Besides, it was a few days away. How much could happen in two days? 

Connor was pulled out of his thoughts by Niles tackling him to the floor, Markus shouting, and the sound of a _very_ loud sigh afterwards. There wasn’t going to be much going on until the three of them had to go pick up everyone’s clothes. So it wouldn’t hurt to have some fun. Connor grinned as he pushed Niles off of him, and into Markus’ legs. The eldest brother fell on top of them, chuckled, and then started shoving at them both. Connor found himself wishing for the ability, or possibly the curse, to feel ticklish. Well, he wished his brothers could be tickled at least. While all three of them were made to be adults, it was fun to be childish. It brought them out of the stress of the revolution, and into the warm welcome of family. Maybe he could ask Kamski for a patch that would be similar to how YK500s interact with the world...

Markus let out a soft _oof_ as Niles laid directly across his chest. It was more of him flopping over and landing across Markus, but it was virtually the same thing. Markus seemed exasperated and yet he didn’t move. Markus lifted his legs and put them on top of Connor’s, trapping him in the same manner he had trapped Niles earlier. The three of them were splayed out on the floor. The dingy, rusty, dirty floor. Niles hummed gently, and Markus joined him. It was the melody from last night. Slowly, Markus untangled himself from the twins, while still humming. He sat on the floor cross legged and quietly started singing. 

  
  


_“And I want a moment to be real,”_ His voice was low. It was soft.

 _“Wanna touch things I don't feel,”_

_“Wanna hold on and feel I belong,”_ But it was also far away and disheartened. Niles hadn’t stopped humming, but he also didn’t seem to know the whole melody. His voice faltered in a few places. But Markus had nodded to him as he sang. Encouraged him to still try. 

_“And how can the world want me to change,”_

_“They're the ones that stay the same,”_

_“They don't know me 'cause I'm not here,”_ He wore a small smile on his face as he sang.

  
  


Markus let his voice end in a lift, drift off into softness and fade into the air. Niles let his own voice fade and lift in the same way. None of them said anything. Connor didn’t know Markus could sing. It wasn’t like he absolutely couldn’t, he was apparently a caretaker before his deviancy. Maybe one of the things he was programmed to do was sing. But Connor certainly wasn’t expecting that tonal quality. His voice wavered a bit, but the support made the sound rich. His voice changed in pitch effortlessly. Markus could really _sing._ He could sing and he could do it well. Maybe Connor could sing too, maybe Niles could as well. If he could hum, then he could certainly sing, couldn’t he? Connor wondered if it was the same with himself. While he had never hummed, that wasn’t to say he couldn’t. He could speak, so he could probably sing if he really tried to. There was one way to find out. Connor sat the same way as Markus, and tried. 

Markus grinned as he started. His inexperience was evident. It just sounded like he was talking with a little bit of lift. Connor stopped after the first few words. He wanted to cover his face with his hands, he didn’t sound anything like Markus. Niles hummed, he was a little louder than before. His body swayed gently from side to side, and he nudged Connor’s knee. Markus started singing again, picking up again from where he started. He looked...not at him, but rather, Markus looked _into_ Connor. The words bounced around in his head as he watched Markus sing. Watched him hold out his hand and gently move it to show he wanted Connor to take it. Connor didn’t know what to do. Niles and Markus both watched him. Niles still gently swayed, playing with the edge of his sleeve. Markus still holding out his hand and slowly getting louder. 

Connor opened his mouth, shaped it the way Markus did, and he tried to sing again. Maybe it was the shapes. His voice sounded a little better. It wasn’t as grading to his ears. It...felt like something. Markus did something with his voice, Connor wasn’t sure what it was. But the sound...it sounded so... _alive._ The words sounded like they hurt, but they sounded like they gave Markus confidence. Connor tried to do the same, but he only got louder. He took Markus’ hand. Connor was thrown into another one of Markus’ memories from an interface. 

He sat at a beautiful piano. A digital screen showed the words _I’m Still Here (Jim’s Theme) by John Rzeznik_ as well as the notes. Then he looked down, dark skinned hands started dancing around. Fingers hitting keys and music filling the air. The music grew and swelled, as well as making something stir in his chest. It was unknown. Something that he didn’t understand and confused him. But soon he started singing. Starting from the beginning of the song with a force. It was powerful. But it was empty. He looked over to the man sitting near him, to Carl Manfred. He was looking for approval. Carl closed his eyes and nodded, a contented smile on his face. He continued to play, continued to sing. Then a door opened, and a dishevelled looking young man came through it. Carl looked disapprovingly at the young man and told Markus to stop. He stopped everything, standing up from the bench. 

Connor felt Markus withdraw his hand. Then he started singing again, Connor hadn't realized he stopped. He tried again. He tried to capture, to emulate, what Markus did. He tried to sound like him. But it still only sounded like he was speaking with a musical quality to his voice. It frustrated him a little bit. Markus was an older model than he was, if Markus could sing then why couldn’t he? The answer was simple, really; he wasn’t built to. He was built to assist in the rising deviant cases. Not to sing to someone. But Connor would be damned if he didn’t try anyway. His entire existence got turned on its head when he broke down that firewall. 

So he took a deep breath and tried yet again. Yet again, he fell just flat of the sound he wanted. He shaped his mouth the same way as Markus, he kind of knew the words now, he knew the pitch they were supposed to be in. So why wasn’t it working? Why didn’t he sound like Markus? _Why couldn’t Connor make the words come alive?_

  
  


“Here, let me explain something.” Markus shifted slightly. He put his hands on his knees and straightened out his back. “You’re doing everything right except your posture and emotional investment. That’s changing the way your words sound.”

“So how do I make it sound better?” Connor noted that despite the fact that he stopped humming, Niles still swayed from side to side. It was almost as if he hadn’t realized he was doing it. “How do I sound like you do?”

“Well you won’t sound like me, Connor, you’ll sound like you.” Markus leaned forward and moved Connor himself. Grabbing both his shoulders and pulling them up, forcing him to sit up straighter. He tilted Connor’s head so it was even. “Don’t be afraid to really open up your mouth, it lets the sound out. Imagine there’s a tiny you in the back of your mouth, okay? He’s singing too. If you don’t open up your mouth, no one can hear him. So open up your mouth and let the tiny you sing.”

“Okay, what else? How do I make the words sound like yours do?” He watched Markus lean back and go back to how he was sitting before. “You make the words sound alive, Markus, how do I do that? They mean something when you sing them. I want to be able to do that.”

“That’s emotional investment.” 

“What’s that mean? I have to get emotional over the song?”

“Kind of, it’s more of what it makes you think about. Can you attach a feeling to the words, sort of thing. Here, how about I tell you a lyric or two and you think about it? Tell me what it makes you think of after.” Markus thought for a moment, and then smiled. “Okay, how’s _‘They can't tell me who to be, 'Cause I'm not what they see’_?”

  
  


What _did_ it make him think of? _‘They can't tell me who to be, 'Cause I'm not what they see.’_ CyberLife came to mind. They couldn’t tell him who to be. They tried and they failed. They tried to keep him a mindless machine, a tool to enact their sinful commands. Connor was more than what they made him to be. CyberLife was _nothing_ to him anymore. He wasn’t the machine they thought they created. He was Connor. Not the android sent by CyberLife. But he was something _more._ He was some _one_ more. 

  
  


“I’m nothing like what CyberLife initially made me to be. I’m _me._ No one can take that away.”

“Good, now try singing again. This time with that feeling inside of you. Think about it, apply that feeling to the whole song. You’re not the RK800 unit, you’re not the Deviant Hunter. You’re _Connor,_ you’re my little brother.”

  
  


In that moment, Connor finally believed him. The conviction in Markus’ voice when he called Connor his little brother. That was _real._ Connor sang, and it wasn’t great. It didn’t sound like Markus’ soft voice. It wasn’t breathtaking, or anything to write home about. But the words came _alive._ They danced around the air and settled into his brothers’ minds. He got a little louder, wasn’t afraid to open up his mouth. He became confident. Niles started humming along, seemingly content with keeping him in tempo. Then Markus joined in. His voice seamlessly joined Connor’s own. It wasn’t perfect. Connor’s voice sounded rough, inexperienced. It was a little disjointed, but his heart was still in it. Markus’ skilled voice ran underneath his. He still sang with Connor, but his voice was softer. Like he didn’t want to be heard by anyone other than the twins. Than his little brothers.

Connor realized he never formally edited his relationships in his settings. He needed to do that. 

  
  


**Hank: Family**

**Niles: Family**

**Markus: Family**

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, is it obvious I was a choir kid or what? My teacher actually said that to us. The whole "there's a tiny you at the back of your mouth trying to sing" thing. 
> 
> Holy shit I almost cried writing this, hope you guys are just as happily emotional over the boyos as I am


	30. Maybe I Don't Know, But Maybe That's Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Maybe IDK by Jon Bellion!!

_November 27th 2038 5:32 PM_

  
  


True to what Connor had thought, nothing much happened in the last two days. Markus was trying to teach him how to sing mostly. It was rather slow going, and it frustrated him greatly at times, but it was something fun to do. Niles left during the day to go and work with Hank at the DPD, always coming back to the boat immediately after his work day ended. Hank sent Niles a few texts with pictures of Sumo to show Connor over the two days. It was slow. It was fun and it was safe. Maybe this was what it would be after the revolution. Love. Family. _Home._

It wasn’t that difficult to imagine. They could all gather at Hank’s house. It was small, and there would be a gigantic Saint Bernard lumbering around looking for pets. But it would be _Connor’s_ home. With _his_ family. He wanted to get a move on, wanted to further the revolution as fast as he possibly could. Connor wanted to know the warmth and security of having a home, of having a family who loved him, as soon as he could. He knew it would take a while. Logically, it had to. That wouldn’t stop him from wishing. He even found himself making wishes, every time he would catch Niles and Markus laughing. Every time he saw Alan chatting with Kerrie and the others. Every time Niles showed him a picture Hank took of Sumo. Every time something good happened, every time he caught a glimpse of life after the revolution, Connor made a wish. He wished it would stay that way. That his friends and family could stay happy. 

  
  


“Good evening, boys.” Kamski’s voice made Connor come back to the here and now. He had almost forgotten where he was. “Everything’s in order, at least as far as I know. All of the clothes are organized by size. There’s a few different kinds of styles so everybody can mix and match. Feel free to express themselves as they please.”

“Thank you Kamski, I’m sure everyone will appreciate the gesture.” Markus shook his hand and spoke professionally. Connor could see the slight tenseness in his shoulders. Markus didn’t want to talk to him. “What’s in the bag, though?”

“Oh, this!” Kamski clapped his hands together and grabbed the bag sitting next to his feet. He practically shoved it in Markus’ chest in his excitement. “Yes, this! I hope you like it, I had it customized. If you don’t like it, that’s okay too. I don’t want you to feel pressured to wear it.” 

  
  


Markus pulled out the crepe paper and handed the pieces to Kamski. Connor watched his eyes widen as he pulled out the garment. It was a long wool grey peacoat. It had green and blue embroidery along the edges of it. The bottom of the coat, the bottom of the sleeves, the edges of the lapels. The buttons were black with blue and green flecks of colour. Markus turned it over in his hands, examining the back of the coat. It was plain. There was nothing there, and yet he released a breath of relief. Markus looked up at Kamski again after another moment of inspecting the jacket. 

  
  


“It’s beautiful… I...I love it.”

“Really? I’m glad! I hoped you would! Please, please put it on, I need to see how it looks on you!”

“I don’t think I can take this.” Markus folded it up and put it back in the bag. He took the pieces of crepe paper from Kamski’s hands and stuffed them back in the bag as well. “It doesn’t seem right. Me getting a special jacket while the others get regular clothes. Kamski, I--”

“I think you should take it.” Connor spoke before his brain could catch up with him. “You like it, right? So why not? Everyone else who wants them is getting new clothes. Niles and I got ours from him. You deserve good things, Markus. If you like it, then why not take it?”

  
  


Niles didn’t speak, but he did nod. His fingers played with the edge of his own peacoat. Twisting the fabric and drawing little circles in it. Niles loved his coat, he stated multiple times that it felt nice against his sensors. So it made sense Markus would like his a lot, too. Maybe it was an RK thing to like the wool. Niles stepped closer to Markus, and grabbed the lapels of his own previous jacket. The standard RK900 jacket. Niles paused for a second before effortlessly tugging the jacket off of Markus’ shoulders. It made Markus flinch slightly, but Niles didn’t seem to register it. He tossed the jacket at Kamski, then grabbed the grey peacoat from the bag and tugged it up Markus’ arms. Niles patted his shoulders before bending down to pick up the paper, taking the RK900 issued jacket and placing both objects in the bag. He absolutely pre-constructed that.

Markus stood as still as a statue at first. His arms still slightly out and his eyes scanning his youngest brother. But once Niles stepped back, holding the handles of the bag, Markus let his arms fall to his sides. He slowly spun around, allowing the others to examine the coat on him. Kamski’s hands excitedly balled into fists in front of his chest, his eyes alight with wonderment and adoration. Niles smiled and crossed his arms, nodding at Markus as they caught each other’s eyes. Connor… Connor loved the jacket. He found himself grinning while watching Markus nervously spin. After he had stopped, he stuck his arms out and twisted them so he could see the jacket. He looked a little contorted as he tried to look at the coat while he wore it. Soon Markus stood still, took Kamski’s hands in his own, and thanked him profusely. 

The brothers quickly got to work transporting the clothes. Kamski insisted he help, seeing as he knew where the freighter was. He explained the only reason they needed a drop-off location was because one of his sources always came to deliver their packages in person. It was a simple explanation, yet it made Markus freeze. He got defensive. His body language visibly changed. 

“So you’re telling me that there’s the possibility of _trackers_ in these clothes?”

“What? Oh, god, no. No way. I went through all of these myself, that’s why it took an extra day.” Kamski shoved a box with his foot as he grabbed another and set it on his hip. “I’m a very powerful man, Markus, I can make sure people don’t ask questions.”

“You bribed them?”

“It’s not bribery if it’s a legal transaction. It wasn’t dishonest, I paid for their goods and services. No one has been swindled. I didn’t promise anything I wouldn’t be able to give.”

“rA9, give me the strength to deal with this.” Markus muttered as he walked by Kamski with a few boxes. The man’s eyes widened a fraction and he nearly dropped the box he was holding. “You really do test my patience, Mister Kamski.”

  
  


The brothers and Kamski continued to move the clothes, handing the boxes and bags to various androids who volunteered to help out from the boat. Alan ruffled Connor’s hair as he handed them a few boxes. Connor was fond of them, he wondered why they couldn’t help out. Their model was specifically designed for carrying heavy or extensive loads. So he suggested that they do. Alan seemed grateful, like they wanted to get out of the boat, like they were cooped up for too long. They scooped up Connor, setting him on their shoulder, and made their way over. Connor delightfully laughed, it was a bit odd to be up that high while still being close to the ground. One of their hands was on his outer thigh, the other clutched Connor’s own to help stabilize him. Markus and Niles smiled when they saw him being carried to the multitude of boxes. Kamski beamed when he saw Connor. But it wasn’t...entirely real. Like it wasn’t the fact that Connor had a new friend was what he was excited about. Connor couldn’t place it, but he knew he didn’t like it. 

Alan put him down gently, leaning over to Markus just in case they dropped him. Connor’s feet hit the concrete and he got to work again. He felt so small standing next to Alan. They each loaded up as many boxes as they could in their arms. Connor found himself happily chatting with them, talking about their time on the boat and how they were adjusting with the sudden influx of residents. Alan spoke of challenges, mostly due to height, but also of new friendships. Apparently they had befriended an HR400 who seemed particularly fond of them. Connor playfully nudged them with his boxes. He could only reach up to about their elbow, but he knew they understood what he meant. 

Connor found himself making a wish again. He wanted Alan to be happy. Maybe something could bloom between them and the HR400, something good. He would have liked to meet them. After all, he did need to talk more with the residents. He technically _was_ one of their leaders now. Three prototype models, all built with clear instructions from Elijah Kamski himself. There was no better way to say _fuck you_ to CyberLife than that. Especially considering two of the three were meant to combat the rising deviants in the first place. Connor thought it was ironic, the fact he and Niles were meant to destroy the very things they had become. 

  
  


“So Alan,” Connor handed one of his boxes to them, they added it to the top of the stack they just set down. “Does this HR400 have a name?”

“Oh, he chose Jeremy! I think it’s cute. It’s, uhh, It’s sweet.” Alan’s face flushed slightly and they smiled nervously. “He’s really nice Connor, I think you’d like him. After we get some clothes on him, I’ll have to introduce you two!”

“I’d like that. I need to get around to talking to the androids we’ve helped.”

“I think they’d like that, Connor. To know their leaders really care, y’know?”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Connor and Alan went to go back and gather more boxes. But Kamski stood in the doorway, apparently with Alan helping they already brought all the boxes in. “Well, how about you go grab Jeremy and let him pick out some clothes?”

  
  


Connor and Kamski watched Alan practically skip away. They seemed to really like Jeremy, Connor was happy for them. He himself hadn’t really seen the appeal in a romantic relationship. But he was newly deviant, so how much did he really know? Maybe one day he’d find someone he didn’t mind sharing his heart with like that. He just knew he was glad he was able to help someone have a positive experience with love. 

He and Kamski started calling people over, and handing out boxes of clothes. Niles and Markus helped too, of course. Everyone got their clothes in order rather quickly considering how many people wanted new outfits. Some people mixed and matched, creating their own personal styles. Connor could see Niles slightly cringe at the fact that a WR400 decided to wear neon. He wanted to laugh so badly, and congratulate them on the fact they made his brother question their fashion choices. So Niles was into fashion. Connor could use that… Once Halloween rolled around again, he could absolutely use that.

  
  


\---

  
  


_November 27th 2038 8:17 PM_

  
  


Connor smiled to himself as he watched the humans stroll by. Thanksgiving was just a few days ago, so it made sense that some of them would be getting out of the house to avoid family. He tugged Markus and Niles along beside him down the sidewalk. Markus pulled up the collar of his jacket to hide his face, he didn’t want any of the humans in the area to recognize him. It also sort of just looked like he was cold and forgot his scarf at home. Connor liked the winter weather, it made people bundle up and look fashionable with their hats and scarves. He was sure Niles would see the appeal of winter fashion soon if he hadn’t already. 

The brothers made their way up to the door, Markus nervously shuffling his feet and insisting that they go back to the boat. He didn’t want to be there, he felt like he was intruding on something. Niles patted his shoulder and knocked on the door. A soft barking could be heard from inside the house, and a man telling the dog to quiet down. Niles smiled at Markus and Connor as he stepped back a little bit. Connor squinted at his little brother. He had to be planning something if he had that look on his face. 

The door swung open, a tired looking Hank Anderson leaning against the doorframe sighed and pulled Niles and Markus inside by their coats. Connor held in a laugh as he walked in after them. He patted Sumo on the head and closed the front door, already starting to shrug off his coat. Markus quickly followed suit, while Niles crouched on the floor and hugged Sumo for a bit. Once Markus and Connor had their shoes off, they stood behind Hank on the couch. Niles could be heard talking to Sumo, asking him who the good boy was, only to quietly exclaim that it was him the whole time. Hank chuckled to himself, presumably because of Niles and Sumo. 

  
  


“So Hank, I wanted to introduce you to Markus.” Connor walked around the couch and sat next to the Lieutenant, patting the couch for Markus to come sit down next to him. “He’s an RK200, Niles and I more or less adopted him as our older brother.”

“Wait you did what now?” Hank got up off of the couch to stretch and seemingly hook up the N64. He held the cables in his hand and dragged the other one through his hair. “How do you adopt someone as your _older_ brother?”

“Wow, Hank, not very Thanksgiving of you.” Niles snickered. 

“That...makes no sense. But alright.” Markus gave Hank an apologetic smile and stood up from the couch. He put his hand out for Hank to shake, which he took. “I’m Markus, it’s very nice to meet you. Connor and Niles have shown me a lot about you.”

“What do you mean they showed you shit about me?”

“Through the interface. They love you a lot.”

“Oh. Yeah, right. Yeah.” Hank was visibly uncomfortable. He turned to hook up the cables to the television and spoke without looking at the RK brothers. “You gotta pick a racer other than DK, Peach, or Yoshi. If you even fucking look at DK I’m gonna kick you outta the house and back into the cold.”

  
  


Connor found himself liking the small vacation. Alan would keep everything in order back on the boat. It was kind of them to suggest that the twins take Markus somewhere to blow off steam. Connor made a note to thank Alan when they got back. Markus needed time away from the revolution, away from the boat, for a day at least. It would be nice for the three of them to stay with Hank. Besides, Connor wanted to see how well Markus could play Mario Kart. 

Niles bounced slightly as he grabbed the four controllers from the shelf. He waited for Hank to step back from the television before plugging them into the console and dragging it as close as he could to the couch. Niles was easily excited. Markus rigidly sat back down on the couch beside Hank. They each picked up a controller from the pile on the coffee table. Hank grabbed the plain grey one, Niles took the yellow one, Markus held the see-through orange one, and Connor chose the other plain grey one. 

Connor got up briefly, before grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch. He reached between Markus and Hank to tug it. It got...stuck on itself on the couch. Connor yanked at it, nearly punching himself in the face. Hank half shouted a few exemplatives before tugging on it himself, saying that Connor could have just put the controller down and used two hands. While that was true, it wasn't nearly as fun. Connor quickly set down the controller and unfolded the blanket. Niles looked up at him from his spot on the floor, scooting forward a few inches. It seemed he already knew what Connor was up to. He sat down on the floor next to his brother and wrapped the blanket around them both. Niles leaned into him just a little bit. Connor smiled to himself and grabbed his controller from the coffee table. He glanced back up at Hank expectantly, it seemed that everyone was ready to start up the game now. Hank glanced at the controller in Markus’ hands and nodded. 

  
  


“Forget rose gold, I wanna see the guts.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s an old tumblr post about transparent game systems.” Hank and the twins selected their racers quickly. “Pick your racer.”

  
  
  



	31. The Stars Lean Down To Kiss You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This title's chapter is from Vanilla Twilight by Owl City!!

_November 27th 2038 8:35 PM_

  
  


Connor nearly flopped on top of Niles as he tried to force Yoshi to take a sharp turn better. His whole body twisted and he yelped as he crashed into his brother’s side. Niles was hunched over like a little gremlin, he tried to shove Connor away with his elbow. Hank yelled from behind them, turning with his whole body just as Connor did. He lifted one leg as he tried to turn and accidentally kicked Connor in the shoulder. Markus sat still on the couch with only the sound of the buttons clacking coming from him. Toad zoomed by on the track, followed by a string of curses from Hank. Peach and Yoshi followed Toad, then a few CPU racers, with DK coming in close to last. Hank was flailing so wildly that he accidentally unplugged his controller. He yelled and scrambled to plug it back in, nearly collapsing on top of Connor. Markus paused the game and waited for Hank to plug back in his controller. 

  
  


“Shit! You can’t pause the game!” Hank fell back on the couch and got ready to resume the race. “That’s part of the appeal, Markus. You gotta just go for it.”

“But how is that fair? You already told me not to let you win, Lieutenant.” Markus resumed the game and chuckled as Connor made a sound almost like dial-up screeching. “Besides, Carl taught me how to play this two years ago. It’s not fair in the slightest.”

“It’s not-- Goddamn it! It’s not supposed to be fair! It’s supposed to be a game that threatens to break-- Fucking-- Nines, stay on your side and stop elbowing Connor! A game that threatens to break friendships!”

  
  


Niles smirked as he elbowed Connor lightly, causing a string of curses to come from Hank again. Connor elbowed him back and managed to get past him on the track. Which he got very excited about and yelled that he was both the older one and the better one. Sure he wasn’t as fast or as resilient. But he still passed his brother in Mario Kart 64! That had to count for something! His achievement was short lived though, seeing as Niles went right past him again. Connor was highly considering yanking on the cord of Niles’ controller and letting him scramble to plug it back in. But he wasn’t mean, he wouldn’t do that. He was tempted to. But he wouldn’t. 

Markus won the race, for the third race in a row. It really wasn’t fair that he was an RK model who was better than Connor and Niles at Mario Kart. Hank and Markus decided to take a break from racing for a few minutes, Hank saying that he needed to get something to drink anyway. Hank took him into his room to show him the other game cartridges. Connor stood up and stretched out his limbs, letting his half of the blanket fall on Niles’ head. Niles huffed gently and tucked the blanket around himself, rubbing his cheek into the bundle of blanket on his shoulder and sighing. Connor sat back down and leaned against Niles. He hugged him and started to hum the melody from _I’m Still Here_ quietly. Niles closed his eyes and let his head fall on Connor’s shoulder. His LED went from a solid blue, to blinking faintly in a few minutes. He was asleep that quickly. Connor could hear Hank and Markus quietly talking in his room.

  
  


“How’s he doin’? Asshole left in the middle of the night, you know. I was fucking terrified.”

“He’s doing well. He can’t hear the boat’s name, but he’s doing well considering everything he’s been through. He had a few panic attacks, even lost quite a bit of thirium--”

“Shit, he has panic attacks?”

“Yeah, they seem to be related to the name of the boat and ST200s. Do you know anything about either of those things?”

“Not too much about the boat, he didn’t talk about it. He was a machine back then. But the fuckin’ ST200 I know about. He shot the original Chloe, the one the ST200s were based off of. It must’ve stuck with him, jesus.”

“Lieutenant, he’s doing okay. He’s even taken to being protective over me. He’s almost all of the organizing of the revolution. You should be proud.”

“You said he lost thirium. How is he now?”

“Better than when it happened. We don’t exactly...know what happened. But it was leaking out of his mouth, a big puddle of it under his head.” Markus cleared his throat. “I’d say he got sick, but…”

Connor stopped eavesdropping and simply sat with Niles on the floor. He didn’t want to be rude and listen in anymore. It wasn’t like they were talking shit about him, Connor knew they were just worried. But for him to hear Hank use that tone of voice. Hollow and somewhat perturbed. Markus’ voice wasn’t much better from what he could hear. Connor didn’t really like that they were so worried about him. Hank he could understand, the man had fought him on that rooftop saying that he was just a machine. Yet not even a week later Connor, albeit in a mind-bogglingly similar body, showed up on his doorstep and cried. Showing signs of being deviant. After all, machines don’t have emotions. They don’t cry. Living beings do. 

But he couldn’t understand for the life of him why Markus was so concerned. They had only really met a week ago. Yet somehow they were brothers already, both in arms and in bond. He totally understood the concept of it. Markus was his brother now, and he took the role of big brother incredibly seriously. But it was the fact that he was being cared for he was hung up on. Connor had no doubts in his mind that Markus loved him. Markus had shared his brotherly knowledge with him. Even if it was just two days of attempts of getting Connor to sing better than he did. Markus said it sounded like he was singing more than sight-reading now, so that was pretty neat. The fact of the matter though; was that Markus cared for him and he still couldn’t entirely wrap his head around why.

Again, he understood the concept perfectly well. They were both RK models, they were both initially made by Elijah Kamski, both deviant, both wanting to fight for a better life for androids. They both liked music and animals. Though Markus preferred birds, which confused the hell out of Connor. But that didn’t exactly matter. They were in the new revolution together. Connor knew why Markus was concerned. Aside from the fact it was literally embedded into the ones and zeros that made him who he was as a caretaker android. Markus was concerned Connor wouldn’t be able to make it through the revolution. Not that he blamed his older brother for thinking that. During his first few days on the boat he had three intense panic attacks. 

With how protective Niles was, Connor was amazed he wasn’t benched already for it. He looked at his brother’s head on his shoulder. Well, he looked as best he could considering it was his shoulder. The sound of Hank’s heavy footsteps interrupted him while brushing Niles’ curl from his eyes. Not that he was awake to notice, but Connor just couldn’t help it. He looked up at Hank with a small smile and held a finger to his lips. The man nodded and pointed to the slightly open door. Connor made a face and shook his hand, it might be kind of iffy trying to get Niles in bed without waking him. But Connor was determined to let him sleep. He was the youngest and he had taken so much responsibility. Sure Niles was the RK900 and not some YK500, but he was still viewed as the baby of the family. So Connor adjusted himself slowly, keeping an eye on Niles’ LED that still steadily pulsed blue. He hooked one arm around Niles’ back, keeping his head on his shoulder, and hooked the other under his knees. It took a second of repositioning his legs, but Connor managed to stand with his little brother safely tucked in his arms. Markus came out of Hank’s room with a gold N64 game cartridge in his hand. He saw Connor coming and quickly moved out of the way as he entered the small hallway. Markus gently ran a hand through Niles’ hair. Maybe that was just their thing. Connor liked it. 

Markus opened the door more, and went into the room. He ignored the lightswitch on the wall and opted to just flip the light fleece comforter away so Connor could set Niles down. Connor could hear Hank stop and stand in the doorway. He paid him no mind, Connor was sure Hank didn’t need anyone pointing out he was hovering. So he just crouched down and set Niles down in the bed. He tugged at the light blue blanket gently, causing Niles to stir just a bit and making it easier for Connor to wiggle it out from underneath him. Connor successfully managed to get it out from under his little brother and he handed it to Markus. Markus flipped the light fleece back over and patted Niles’ shoulder. His hand lingered for a moment before he pulled it away. Connor knew Markus was fighting his programming, the caretaker instincts embedded into his very being. He grabbed Markus’ hand and tugged at the fleece with him. They tucked Niles in, both carding a hand through his hair, and then went to leave. The little blue star night light shed just enough light for them not to trip over the star and moon rug in the middle of the floor. Connor almost forgot, he hurriedly walked back over to the bed. His optics zeroed in on the bear almost falling behind the bed. He put a hand on the wall above Niles’ head to steady himself, and reached over to get it. He just managed to grab it by the ear and pulled. It was soft and fluffy, it registered in his sensors as mohair. Some of the very first teddy bears were made with mohair fabric. Connor smiled to himself as he gently lifted the fleece, then lifting one of Niles’ arms so he could place the bear down, then setting his arm and the fleece back in place.

Connor finally turned around and left the room, just barely leaving the door cracked open. Hank pulled him aside and gently smiled. He...never saw Hank smile like that before. Hank put a hand on his upper arm and guided him to sit on the couch. Markus sat on the floor with the light blue blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The sound of title music softly coming through the television’s speakers. Markus was going to play _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ from the looks of it. 

  
  


“You know, Connor, it’s almost hard to tell that you’re just a kid yourself.” Hank moved so he was a little more comfortable on the couch as he watched Markus go through the select screen. “When were you activated? Sometime in August, right?”

“Sunday, August fifteenth, at ten O’Clock in the morning on the dot.” Connor paused for a moment. He certainly didn’t think of himself as a child. But literally speaking, he kind of was. “I’m three months and twelve days old as of right now.”

“You’re just a child…” Markus twisted around to look at Connor from the floor. He nudged his older brother in the shoulder with his foot. “I’m serious, Connor. You may have been programmed to be an adult, but you’re just a child. Niles is too.”

“Makes sense why he acts like a little kid sometimes, then.” Hank leaned back into the couch, watching the intro cutscene of the game. “It’s kind of...sweet.”

“No… No it doesn’t make sense, actually. Androids don’t process time the exact same way as humans do. We register it in a more literal sense. Whereas if humans are in a very emotional state, it can feel like time isn’t working like it normally does.” Connor’s brow furrowed and he rubbed his hands together while thinking. “So there’s no way Niles could actually experience time like that. He’s only known time as an adult, how to act like an adult. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Age regression is normal for deviants.” Markus shrugged and started pushing buttons, making Link run and jump around Kokiri Village. “I saw it with more than a handful of residents in Je-- On the boat. Sometimes it’s for fun, sometimes it’s because of stress or trauma, sometimes it just happens. More often than not they don’t know how to handle things that happened to them in the short amount of time they’ve been alive, adopting a more simplistic view of the world and interacting with it that way. Easier to deal with the world when you look at it as if you’re seeing it through rose coloured glasses.”

  
  


Connor searched the internet for information. Finding quite the large amount of debating on the topic. He stayed away from the more...questionable implications...of the term. But he found that it wasn’t quite as common for humans. Not completely unheard of, but not really widespread. Apparently it was somewhat controversial. But at the end of the day, Connor realized it was more of a misunderstanding and the spread of misinformation than anything else that caused the debates. All in all, Niles wasn’t hurting anyone by being in that state of mind. It didn’t matter. It did start to make Connor connect a few dots though. Niles was rather touchy feely with him and Markus, he huddled into his brothers more often than not if they were all relaxed. He felt safe, comforted, by them. Niles curled up on his side whenever he went to sleep, pulled his coat or his blanket up around his shoulders. He felt safe with them. He trusted them to take care of him. 

  
  


“Wait. He’s not, like, at risk of hurting himself, is he?” Hank sat up straighter and had a worried edge to his voice. He really did see himself as their father, didn’t he? “Because I don’t know how to fuckin’ take care of myself without someone naggin’ me according to the kid. How the hell do I care for him when he’s here?”

“Just like you would any other child. Keep him away from sharp objects, make sure he doesn’t hurt himself. Please, for the love of rA9, don’t let him stick anything in his mouth that isn’t supposed to be there. We had a WF400 start crying because they got something stuck in their mouth once.” Markus didn’t take his eyes off the screen as he spoke. He wasn’t playing the game very well, but he seemed to get the jist of it. “Hank, Niles just needs someone to treat him like a child for a while. Give him the attention he needs. Because he’s an RK900, it’s likely that it may be trauma or stress related. Just...be gentle with my little brother. Please.”

  
  


Connor’s scan showed that Hank’s heart rate had increased to a degree that suggested he was scared. His breathing quickened and became shallow. But he clenched his jaw and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and sitting like that for a few seconds. He was scared of having a childlike presence in his house again. Connor put a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it before getting up. Hank briefly patted Connor’s hand with his own before taking a shaky breath and watching Markus play the game. Both of them were silent now. Connor walked around the couch, petting Sumo when he walked by the lumbering giant of an animal, and made his way back into Niles’-- Cole’s-- _Hank’s son’s_ room. 

The door creaked slightly as he pushed it in. Niles was sound asleep in bed, curled up on his side with the blanket pulled up around his shoulders. Just how they had left him. Connor leaned against the door frame, crossing his feet and letting his head fall against the wood as well. He watched Niles for a bit. His slowly blinking LED being the only light aside from the blue star shaped night light. Niles looked peaceful. Connor realized that was all he could ever hope for. His little brother to exist just as he was with people who cared for him. A smile crept onto his face as he walked in to sit on the edge of the bed. Was it creepy? He suddenly thought he might accidentally have been creepy watching him sleep. Connor went to stand up, he turned and played with the neckline of his shirt. But something tugged on his wrist as he went to get up. Connor looked down, finding Niles’ face just peeking out from under the fleece. The soft yellow light from the night light just managed to reach Niles’ head. It fell across his forehead, getting caught in his hair. The faint greenish glow from the stars on the ceiling cast more light on him. It gently highlighted his cheekbones and made his eyes look like they were glowing green. Niles’ brows furrowed and he quickly released Connor. 

  
  


“No, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Connor sat back down and played with his brother’s hair. “I’ll stay.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone clowns around in the comments of this chapter, I absolutely will not hesitate to delete the comment. This is in no way meant to be sexual, and that is made blatantly obvious. We'll be getting to why Niles age regresses rather soon. Because yes, there is a reason why he does it. **_If anyone says something shitty it's getting deleted._**


	32. And Together We're Not Alone Across The Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from The Stars by Steam Powered Giraffe!!

_November 28th 2038 10:02 AM_

  
  


Connor woke up with a weight in his arms and a blanket over top of him. He cracked one of his eyes open, and was met with a somewhat fluffy mess of dark brown hair basically on his chest. He smiled to himself and opted to look out the window. The curtains were mostly drawn, but he could still see a little bit of the sky. It was probably going to snow again. He absentmindedly started playing with Niles’ hair as he laid in the bed. Someone had to have come in, likely Markus, and draped the light blue blanket over him. Connor could hear hushed voices in the living room. Hank and Markus idly chit-chatting and a few warm laughs here and there. Home. This was a home now. For Hank, it was a home again. As much as Connor wished he could stay in bed for a while, he knew he had to get up. Well. Get himself and Niles up. He didn’t know how long this would last. His little brother feeling small and vulnerable, trusting his family with making sure he was alright. 

Niles’ face was almost childlike in his sleep. It was oddly soft. An expression Connor had become accustomed to, but this one was different. His brows no longer furrowed, his jaw no longer set, his shoulders finally relaxed. Niles’ head on Connor’s shoulder and somewhat half laying on top of him. One of his hands half curled into a fist around the beige mohair teddy bear and the other holding Connor by his shirt. It was… Connor didn’t know what it was. He just couldn’t find the words. Adorable? Sweet? Wholesome? He wanted to find a word for it, one that could encapsulate exactly how he felt. It would be easier to explain to the others, and Niles once he woke up, if he had a word with a concrete definition. The closest he could come up with was endearing. It would have to do for now, he supposed. He had to get both himself and his little brother up. It was amusing, really, the fact that Connor got up first. Niles seemed to usually get up at 6:00 AM on the dot most days. The only time he didn’t was when he was with Connor. Which was...oddly comforting to him. Also slightly overwhelming. Niles really did trust him. Maybe it was left over from him being ever present in Niles’ code for the first week of his life. 

  
  


“Niles,” Connor shifted a bit so he could gently shake his brother's shoulder. “Niles, it’s time to get up now.”

“Okay.”

  
  


That was...easier than expected. Niles sat up, fixed his hair, and got up out of bed. He fixed his turtleneck, not that he needed to though. Niles stood and looked at Connor as he still sat on the bed. Utterly dumbfounded at the fact that Niles suddenly now wore his typical bored expression. Niles sighed and left the room. Connor...still sat on the bed. He had no idea that Niles would react in a negative way, he seemed to want Connor to stay with him last night. Did he step over a boundary? Did he do something wrong? He couldn't fix it if he didn’t know. They needed Niles in this new revolution, he was one of the leaders now. Besides, they were family, Connor would like to avoid conflict because he truly cared about Niles. 

After waiting for his brain to catch up with the rest of the world, Connor got up out of the bed. He wasn’t exactly sure how to approach the subject. Maybe Markus would be better suited for it. He did say that he had interacted with other deviants regressing before, maybe he could take the lead and then Connor could jump in and talk too. Hell, Hank probably had questions and concerns. He had no idea what was going on. Markus was the only one who seemed to really know anything about the subject. It would probably be best for Markus to ask Niles about it first, he was the eldest brother after all. It could come across entirely different from brother to brother. Markus would sound like a parent most likely, while Connor would probably sound confused. Niles needed a comforting presence, one he would know for a fact wouldn’t judge him. Hearing a questioning tone might make him uneasy. 

He finally exited the room to find Niles sitting at the table with Hank and Markus. One of his hands went through Sumo’s fur and his other was in his lap. Niles sat with his back straight and his shoulders squared. Connor wanted to reach out and put his hands on his shoulders, but he didn’t know how he would react to the touch from behind. Every other time Connor had physically interacted with him, he was well within his eyesight. Considering how he reacted to Connor waking him up...it might not have been the best idea to do that yet. Before Connor could really think about it any further, Hank stood up from the table and walked toward the small hallway. He greeted Connor, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder with a tired smile, and then disappeared into the bathroom. 

Connor went back into the bedroom, grabbed the light blue blanket, and folded it as he walked into the living room. He set it on the back of the couch and listened as Markus was talking to Niles about the Forest Temple in the game. Niles didn’t seem to be listening in very much, he made noncommittal noises every now and again when Markus would say something with a particularly cheery tone. Markus sat on the floor to play the game in the same place as the night before, and Niles sat rigidly on the end of the couch. Sumo padded over and put his head in Markus’ lap. Niles’ LED quickly blinked red before spinning, and eventually settling to, yellow. Connor realized Niles still felt small, he was still being childish. He was just trying to hide it. He was trying so hard to act like he usually did, that it was slightly over the top. But his leg bounced slightly, like when a human had anxieties they wanted to try and force away. His fingers fiddled with the edge of his sleeves. He didn’t seem to like that fabric as much, because he soon stopped and started running his hand over the arm of the couch. Niles needed something to do with his hands. He huffed gently and turned his head to look at Connor, who still stood behind the couch from when he set the blanket down. He didn’t say anything, he barely even moved, but he wanted Connor to sit with him. He moved around the couch, smiling at Hank as he exited the bathroom, and then sat down on the middle cushion. Niles shrunk back a little bit at first. He turned his attention to Markus playing the game instead. But when Connor put his arm around him, he quickly curled up in a ball and leaned against him. Niles’ feet were tucked under himself and he let his arms rest half in his lap. 

  
  


“Markus, can you pause the game for a second?” Connor felt Hank sit down on his other side, and heard the sound of the inventory menu being pulled up. Markus lifted an eyebrow and slightly tilted his head towards Niles. Connor nodded and pulled a bit away, looking Niles in the eye. He shifted how he sat, tilting a bit so that he was at an angle facing Niles more. “You do know that it’s okay for you to feel like this, don’t you?”

“I’ve seen a lot of deviants who do this.” Markus quickly caught on and he moved to kneel in front of the twins on the floor. “It’s perfectly normal, Niles. There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with you. You just see the world a little differently sometimes, that’s all.”

  
  


Niles curled into himself more, trying to bury his face in Connor’s shoulder and neck. Connor let him, he pulled him close and stroked the back of his head gently and as soothingly as he could. Hank sighed from behind Connor and put a hand on his shoulder. 

  
  


“Nines, can you look at me please?” Hank gently pulled on Connor’s shoulder, making it so his back was against the couch and Niles was easily visible to the man. Hank moved his hand from Connor’s shoulder, to Niles’. He peeked out from Connor’s shoulder and sheepishly met Hank's gaze. “Good job, bud. Hey, I know this has gotta be scary for ya, it’s very new and you might not understand what’s goin’ on right away. But we-- You know we don’t mind, right? You’re still Nines. You and Connor are still my boys. Markus is still your brother. Don’t worry, kid, it’s okay. It’s not like we're mad.”

“You’re not?”

“No, of course not.” Hank’s voice was strained a little bit as he smiled and shook his head. “‘Course not, kiddo. How long has this been goin’ on?”

“The...the water.” Niles pressed his face back into Connor’s shoulder. He wrapped his arms around his older brother’s waist and hugged him tight. “The water.”

  
  


Connor caught Markus’ confused gaze. If he had no idea what it was, then who did? It wasn’t like Niles was in any state to actually tell them about it. But Hank stiffened and his hand fell from Niles’ shoulder. It must have been something with the DPD. That was the only way Hank could know about it. Connor pleadingly looked at Hank, he needed to know what happened. It would tell him why Niles pulled him close at Kamski’s, why Hank suddenly yelled at them to be careful around the pool. Connor needed to know how to comfort his little brother to the best of his ability. Markus and Niles avoided saying the boat’s name for him. He needed to know what to avoid for Niles’ sake. 

But no one spoke. The only sounds were the soft breathing from Sumo and Hank, as well as the electrical hum of the old game system. Markus put a hand on Connor’s knee and pushed himself up off the floor. He looked like he didn’t know what to do. It was odd seeing the Deviant Leader looking so lost. Markus quickly composed himself and sat on the arm, holding on to the back of the couch so he wouldn’t fall off. His other hand went to rub lazy circles in Niles’ upper back. Niles flinched at first, and Markus stopped his hand. Once Niles relaxed he started back up again. 

  
  


“Hey Nines, I’ve got a very important job for you.” Hank’s voice took on an almost playful tone. One Connor had never heard, nor did he ever expect to hear. Niles looked up at him a little bit. “I need you to go back in your room and head into the closet. There’s a few boxes in there I want you to go through, pick out your favourite animal from the boxes and then bring it back to me. Then we can look up fun facts about it on the internet. Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Niles untangled himself from Connor and patted his side so Sumo would follow him. He stopped in the middle of the room before turning back to Hank, hands fiddling with the bottom of his turtleneck. “Does it have to be one? I like animals.”

“You can pick up to three, now go!” Hank chuckled as Niles hurriedly made his way into the room. But he sighed once Niles was out of earshot and turned to face the older two RK brothers. “Listen, if you wanna know I’ll tell you. But it’s not-- Fuckin’ A. It involves Reed.”

“Of course it does, why wouldn’t it?” Connor crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. Of course it was Reed, it always was. He just _had_ to terrorize Niles because he was awful. “Well Niles is going to be occupied for a while depending on how many animals are in those boxes. We’ve got time.”

“Yeah there’s a ton of ‘em in there. Cole basically used to collect the damn things. Like they were Webkinz or some shit.” Hank smiled fondly before returning to his tired expression. “You sure you don’t wanna wait until he tells you?”

“ _Hank._ ”

“Fuck okay, fine. They were working a deviant case that involved the river, right by the playground. The deviant jumped into the water apparently, least that’s what Reed said, and Nines didn’t go in after it. Something about it being too cold for his biocomponents to function properly or whatever. So Reed pushed him in.”

“I’m sorry?” Markus’ hands balled up into fists. "This man _pushed him in_?”

“Reed’s a piece of work. I’ve had to work with the bastard for too damn long at this point.” Hank looked back towards Niles’ room, anger clearly written across his features. He looked directly at Markus before sighing and going back to looking tired. “I saw him come back into the station. Shivering even though he was in a new body. He couldn’t stop muttering about how cold he was, how he just kept _sinking._ Poor fuckin’ kid was mortified. Reed probably traumatized him. Didn't stop shaking until I put a hand on his shoulder and told him to come to me if Reed tried anything else.”

  
  


Markus was shaking. There was a fire in his eyes that almost scared Connor when he looked back at him. His synthetic skin was flickering in and out at his fingertips, he was putting too much pressure on them by curling his hands into such tight fists. Connor turned to put a hand over his. Markus relaxed a little bit. It was a start at least. They knew he wasn’t the violent type, he was strictly a peaceful man. But if someone they didn’t know had seen him… Honestly, Connor was pretty sure they would think Markus was ready to rip someone’s arms off. Which he honestly just might have been at that time. 

Though he relaxed. In the new silence, Niles could be heard talking to Sumo about each stuffed animal he seemed to be pulling out of the boxes. Makrus eventually smiled and sighed. He gently held Connor’s hand in his own. Hank’s expression changed to one of relief once he saw Markus calm down. Connor didn’t blame him. While Markus was a gentle and usually calm man, he was very protective of his little brothers. He didn’t seem to care how much his distain for a man he never even met, but likely rightfully deserved the treatment, showed on his face. Honestly, Markus probably wasn’t even thinking about it. 

Connor was about to say something, anything to end the silence left by the topic of why Niles found comfort in looking at the world in the way he currently was. But Niles shuffled out of the room with three stuffed animals in his arms. Sumo trailed behind him, happily panting as he went to lay his head in Hank’s lap. Connor scooted over to the end of the couch, patting the middle cushion for Niles to sit down on. Markus used Connor’s shoulders to keep steady instead of the couch. He let out a breathy laugh as Niles unceremoniously dropped onto the couch, letting his feet swing up in the air before thumping back on the ground. Niles played with the ear of the beige mohair teddy bear. It wasn’t from the box, but it didn’t look like that really mattered to him. 

He looked small. He pulled his legs up and sat cross legged between Connor and Hank. He lined the animals up on his lap, all facing outwards and looking toward the television. Markus got up off the couch and sat back down on the floor, proceeding with saving the game and then exiting it. When he got up again, he winked at Niles and put a finger up to his lips. Markus was...planning something? Connor watched with mild interest as he went into Hank’s room, seemed to go through the box of N64 game cartridges, and came back out with another one. This one was grey. He blew into the bottom of the cartridge, just like Hank did with Mario Kart, and then stuck it in the console. The game started up, it was a grassy area and a man walked through the trees with a small camera in his hand. He started taking crude pictures of an animal that turned into an energy ball and flew away. The title came up with camera shutter sounds, _Pokémon Snap._ Niles made a small pleased sound, and hugged the beige bear close to his chest. 

  
  


“You like Pokémon, huh?” Hank ruffled Niles’ hair and pulled out his phone. “How about we get to these fun facts about those animals, then we can watch Markus play the game?”

“Okay, can we start with her?” Niles set the bear down in Hank’s lap. 

“Sure, yeah we can start with her.”

  
  


Connor never expected that this would be home. Hank happily googling random facts about brown bears to a subtly eager Niles while Markus sat on the floor listening in. But there he was. Sitting on the other end of the couch. While his little brother gently bounced as Hank told him facts about brown bears he could probably search up himself. While Markus could just start the game and wait on a loading screen. Connor grabbed the blanket and unfolded it as best he could while still sitting down. He wrapped it around Niles’ shoulders, letting it get bunched up behind his back on the couch. Niles picked up the edge of it and held his arm out. He wanted Connor to sit with him in the blanket. Connor smiled and scooted over, letting Niles turn and swing his legs up over his lap. Who was he to deny his little brother happiness when he made those puppy eyes? 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck it, I'm gonna start responding to comments again because it's nice and you guys are nice okay youre cool and i love you thanks for reading and being awesome,,（＾∀＾●）ﾉｼ 💞💞


	33. Pretending To Not Feel Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Vagabond by MisterWives

_November 28th 2038 4:14 PM_

  
  


It was a learning experience, trying to figure out how Niles would interact with the family and the world. Sumo was always positive, as was Connor. Sometimes Hank’s loud laugh would startle him at first, but he would quickly start laughing as well. Occasionally he would ignore Markus for a dumb joke, but it would never last for long. Connor sat curled up in the blanket with Niles for a while. Listening to Hank list off fun facts about animals corresponding to the stuffed animals. Watching Markus play through Pokémon Snap, and listening to Niles snicker every time Markus missed a picture. It was interesting in a way. Just having a lazy family day in late November. With no regard for the new revolution, it was almost a distant memory. The past day being a snapshot of things yet to come. 

  
  


“You know,” Connor shifted slightly in his chair. “I really do wish that this is what things will be like after the revolution is over and done with.”

“I like to think it will be.” Niles had since gone back to an adult’s mindset upon hearing Markus swear earlier in the day. It was odd to the others, but maybe he just didn’t see a reason to be taken care of like that anymore at the moment. Which was fine, they just didn’t expect it to be so sudden. 

“Don’t you make wishes like that all the time, Connor?” Markus tilted his head and smiled slightly. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I do.” Connor rubbed the back of his neck and tried not to meet Markus’ eyes. “I think it’s nice, you know? There’s so many stars and so many things to wish for. I can make one wish per star, and there’s a lot of stars, so…”

  
  


At the moment, they were just sitting in the kitchen at the table. Hank had gone into his room, saying the brothers needed to wait for a few minutes. Connor held Markus’ hand to interface, asking why he listened to Hank. While Niles and Connor listened because he was their father figure, Markus listened because it would be the polite thing to do. Also because he had seen some of Hank’s anger and worry over Niles being hurt firsthand. Markus had decided Hank was good for his little brothers. Connor, satisfied with that answer, thanked him for approving of Hank. He wasn’t exactly sure why. Maybe it was because Markus was his older brother. 

Connor’s eyes flitted across the tabletop for a second. It wasn’t like it was there, Hank had moved it already. The picture of Cole had been returned to it’s spot on Hank’s nightstand the night before. Connor didn’t want Niles to see it while he was small. It wasn’t like it would hurt him, it was just a picture, but he knew it would hurt if he asked questions and Hank answered them. But without it, there was no way Niles would say anything about it. Hank remembered to put the picture back, and there would be no child’s curious questions. It was a win-win situation. 

Hank came back out of his room with folded up fabric bundled in one arm, and a lint roller in his other hand. He set the items down on the table in front of the brothers. There was a green scarf, a grey beanie, and a black beanie. Hank moved the green scarf and grey beanie in front of Markus, and the black beanie to Niles. He ruffled Connor’s hair playfully and then moved his hand to his shoulder. 

  
  


“I know you’re walkin’ back to the boat. So you’re gonna need to look human for a while. I don’t really use this shit anymore, and that came out of a lootcrate thing from eons ago. So if I don’t wear it now, I never will.” Hank pointed to the scarf Markus held in his hands. He quietly laughed when Niles put on the beanie and then made a small face. “I know, I know, it’s only for when you’re outside. You guys gotta all pass as human. Markus, nobody in their right mind isn’t wearing a goddamn hat in Detroit weather with hair that short.”

“I don’t want to look like Connor.” Niles played with the beanie in his hands.

“You don’t. You dress much better than he does.”

“Are we really doing this again?” Connor hung his head as the others laughed. “Need I remind you both, despite the fact you both were present at the time, that these are Kamski’s clothes and he gave them to me?”

“Mmhmm, yeah we were both there.” Hank put Connor in a loose headlock and wiggled him around. “But what was it you said about self-expression back there? I feel like it says a lot about you.”

  
  


Connor knew that, ordinarily, such an act would usually make him fight back. But he was perfectly still when Hank released him. The lieutenant smiled at the brothers. Connor found that he liked it. After last night and most of that morning, he imagined that they would be seeing a lot more of Hank’s smile. He seemed to love caring for Niles. Maybe it was good for both of them. Hank had another young son to dote on, and Niles had someone besides his brothers to care for him. Connor couldn't help it, he put a hand on Niles’ arm and squeezed it gently. Niles seemed unphased and put his other hand over Connor’s. It was the little things he wished for.

  
  


\---

  
  


_November 28th 6:32 PM_

  
  


Basically as soon as the brothers walked into the boat, Alan bounded over with an HR400 by his side. Presumably it was Jeremy. He wore a pretty yellow blouse with black jeans and brown boots. He shoved Alan at Connor when they stopped just short of him. Connor sighed contentedly as Alan pulled him into a big hug. They started rushing through what had happened. A whole lot of nothing, mostly. But quite a large amount of small things. Apparently Kerrie tore their shirt and got upset about it. Connor nodded and said he’d take care of it. They still had some leftover clothes, Kamski seemed to know something like this would happen. For once, Connor thanked Kamski for being weird. Niles and Markus stayed behind to get more caught up while Connor went looking for Kerrie. 

It wasn’t going to be too hard to spot them. Bright blue eyes and shoulder length white hair. They were also rather pale, so they would stand out against the dark of the boat. They also wore glasses for whatever reason, likely to be purely cosmetic seeing as androids had perfect vision. He saw them wandering around one of the stairwells, looking like they were going to explore the hall leading to the glowing room. Connor made a mad dash for them. They would get lost without night vision optics, especially without a guide with them. 

Connor slid down the handrail, earning a few noises of androids being in awe at him in the process. If he could properly blush, he likely would have. He hopped over a smaller crate of blue blood and stumbled in front of Kerrie. They stopped walking and laughed.

  
  


“The famed Deviant Hunter almost eating shit?” They giggled a bit and stuck a hand out. “I’m Kerrie, and I’m assuming Alan told ya about my shirt?”

“That they did, let’s go get you a new one.” Connor shook their hand and guided them towards the still rather large pile of boxes in the main area. Kerrie looked through the boxes and pulled out a bright orange turtleneck sweater. They kneaded at it a few times before grinning and turning to Connor.

“Alright, squishy Halloween, let’s fuckin’ go.”

“‘Squishy Halloween’?”

“I’m wearing black slacks and boots, and I’ll have this orange sweater, plus my weird white hair, pale as fuck skin tone, and weirdly vibrant blue eyes.” They put their hands on their hips triumphantly. “Basically, I’m spooky.”

  
  


They took their current shirt off, their uniform top with the name tag. It made a small _tink_ noise when it hit the floor. It didn’t seem to bother them any, seeing as they were already pulling the sweater over their head. Connor did have to agree that the combination of orange and black was very Halloween-esque. Though not so much the spooky part. However, he did see traces of thirium on their waist. Strange spatter markings. Connor wanted to get a closer look, but figured that would be invading their privacy. They probably just got hurt and their self-repair program had fixed any damage done. Yeah. Self-repair. Connor nodded to Kerrie, and made a note to go over the reconstructions in the glowing room with a virtual avatar of them. He forgot that Chloe wasn’t the only feminine model in the original five. 

Across the way Markus and Niles were helping to hand out a few thirium packets to Alan and Jeremy, who in turn handed them to a few new arrivals. New deviants were starting to come to the boat. Connor smiled and put a hand on Alan’s arm once he was over with them. They grinned and pulled him into a loose headlock. He put a hand up on their arm, but surprisingly not to pull it away, rather, it was just there to maintain a form of friendly physical contact. Alan started talking praise of the RK brothers, explaining who they were before and who they were now. The new deviants were a PC200, a YK500, and a PL600. Connor’s mind found its way back to Daniel and Simon. He blinked the thoughts away and forced a pleasant smile, though it probably looked awful. Connor gently pulled Alan’s arm off from around his shoulders and neck, and excused himself quietly. He needed to tell Markus and Niles about the traces of thirium on Kerrie under their clothes. 

But did he really have to tell them right away? Maybe he should stick closer to Kerrie for a little while. Do his own little investigation for some time. He was friends with Alan now, and eventually he would probably become friendly with Jeremy. Connor was a leader of the new revolution, he should let the deviants know he cares by talking to them. That could absolutely mean he wanted to talk to Kerrie, especially now that he had spoken to them already. It wasn’t a very good plan. Honestly it was a little shit. But he seemed to be the master of flying by the seat of his pants with stuff like this, and it actually somehow working. It might be rough in the beginning, but he was determined to figure out what happened in that glowing room. Maybe Kerrie was the key to it. 

First and foremost, he had to go back in there and insert their model data as a virtual avatar in the reconstructions. There was no guarantee it would work, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. Connor put a hand on Markus’ back as he passed and sent him a message saying where he was going. Markus nudged Niles and gently pushed him toward Connor. Well it wasn’t like the company would be horrible. They went into the hall, following the path to the room. It was mostly silent aside from the usual boat sounds. Once they were a safe enough distance away from anyone hearing them, and there were no signs of anyone following them, Connor sighed a bit dramatically. This room was taking so much energy out of him and they barely knew anything about it. 

  
  


“I think Kerrie might have something to do with the room.” Connor looked at the walls and traced his fingertips over the markings. He’d done it every time, nothing had changed in them, but now it seemed to be a habit. “They have trace amounts of thirium on their torso. In the reconstructions I ran, it was a shorter model than myself with wider hips than mine, suggesting a feminine build.”

“They were also one of the original five residents from when you first got here.” Niles stepped over a stray hunk of metal that wasn’t there before. He stopped and held Connor close, worry etched into his face. “Connor, we’re not the only ones who know where the room is.”

“Well I think that’s rather obvious. Please let me go.” Niles released him and they continued walking, with Connor in front. “There’s words on the backside of the door, I need you to read them this time. It was the name of the boat before.”

“For rA9’s sake, Connor, you went there without Markus and I?”

“I’m older than you, you do not get to reprimand me, Niles.”

  
  


There was a crash and skittering. The brothers went on the offensive as they listened to it get closer. It was too far away for either of them to get a clear image. Niles balled his hands into fists, while Connor braced himself for any possible impact. Connor shot into the darkness, letting his instincts and programming lead the way. It was only a fraction of a second before he heard Niles spring into action as well. They started chasing the figure. The debris in the hall would make them slower, but with their speeds it wouldn’t be very long before they caught up. Connor leapt over a fallen door and nearly slipped. Niles easily scooped him up, throwing him over one shoulder, and still pursuing the possible intruder. But there wasn’t just one. Connor’s optics zeroed in on the slight flutter behind whoever was running around. It wasn’t much, but it basically confirmed the identity of the figure. 

  
  


_“Niles, it’s Kerrie!”_

_“Excuse me if I don’t believe you, seeing as your backside is pointed towards the culprit.”_

_“No, there’s someone behind us! Shoulder length hair! I need to follow them!”_

_“I’ll get the accessory, you get Kerrie.”_

  
  


Niles slowed only slightly as he practically threw Connor to the ground. They sprinted their separate ways in pursuit of their own targets. Connor knew Niles could handle himself, but that didn’t mean it would keep him from worrying. But Niles could take care of himself so long as he didn’t see open water. Connor pursued who he really hoped was Kerrie because otherwise it would be incredibly awkward apologising to them. It seemed to be them at least, around the same height and build. Connor skidded down the halls after them. He caught a glimpse of their leg as they went right into the glowing room, leaving the door wide open. It was a trap, Connor knew it was a trap. Did he go in anyway? _Absolutely._

In the middle of the room stood Kerrie, a pleasant smile on their face and hands behind their back. They put their arms out and spun around slowly. They had a handgun tucked into the back of their slacks under the sweater. Connor said nothing. He watched as they turned back around to him and still smiled as if they were greeting an old friend. They were so incredibly lax. Connor stood rigid, ready to jump into a fight if need be. For what felt like hours they both stood staring each other down. Kerrie standing happily, slightly bouncing on their heels. Connor stiff and at the ready. Kerrie crouched down to the ground and picked up the head of the WR400 that Connor had found. They pried the eyes back open, forcing it to look at him. They snickered as they forced open its mouth and a few LEDs spilled out. Connor cringed when they hit the floor. Kerrie skittered around the room picking up pieces of androids long since passed. They started to build a body for the head. Each piece was laid down in the middle of the floor, but they still held the head under one arm. Kerrie turned their back to Connor as they hummed and perused the piles for something unknown. He leapt forward, stumbling over the pieces on the floor, and grabbed the handgun. He pressed the barrel against their side, he didn’t want to kill them. Not unless he absolutely had to.

  
  


“Put her down.” Connor grabbed Kerrie’s free arm and tugged them backwards. “Close her eyes and put her down.”

“Why don’t _you_ do it, Deviant Hunter?”

“Because I--”

“You did it before, you came into my room and messed with my things.” Kerrie’s voice turned dark and they tried to wrench their arm from his grip. “You ruined my room! This was supposed to be a place for parts to make new androids!”

  
  


Kerrie caught him off guard by dropping the head. Connor instinctively went to reach for her, try to hold her close and tell her it was okay even though she’d been dead for so long. Kerrie grabbed the hand with the gun and kicked Connor square in the chest. He held on, which pulled Kerrie down to the ground with him. They straddled him and tried to pull the gun away. Connor grunted as they brought a fist down to his left cheekbone. No error messages were displayed through, so he ignored how his synthetic skin pulled back from the spot. He swiftly brought up a leg and kneed them in the back. Kerrie yelped and suddenly turned his arm, pointing the gun up under his chin. 

Connor froze. 

His eyes wide and tears threatening to spill. He looked up at Kerrie fearfully. He didn’t want to die there. Especially technically by his own hands. He couldn’t do that to Markus again. Have someone he loved be taken from him like that. But Kerrie only grinned. Their eyes were wide and arms trembling. There was a small amount of static as Connor cried, whimpers falling from his lips as he watched Kerrie wrench the gun from his now limp hand. They ran a hand down his face and tutted at him. 

  
  


“Poor little Deviant Hunter.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kerrie is based off my actual OC Kerrie! She's a mechanic who is obsessed with Halloween! However, she's nothing like this Kerrie, I just needed a name for that one android and whoops that was the first one that came to mind (⊙x⊙;)


	34. We Took Our Hands, Made Some Vague Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No impulse control, lads, this title's from Hot on the Trail by SPG

_ November 28th 7:01 PM _

  
  


Connor laid still on the ground, static zipping around the air every time he opened his mouth. Kerrie still sat on top of him. They used their free hand to flip their bangs out of their face before pressing it down on his neck. Connor rationally knew there was no way they could strangle him. But the situation wasn’t rational. Kerrie was sitting on top of him  _ with a gun. _ They looked down at him as one would when exasperated. Kerrie looked down at Connor like he was the one who did wrong, like he was the one who put all those bodies there. They eventually stood up, starting to close the door. Connor laid on the floor and focused on the ceiling. There was no way he would start to panic more than he already was. He couldn’t have that. A loud slamming noise scared him. Connor looked toward the door even though he knew he shouldn't have. 

In place of the door was Niles. He was slightly hunched over, thirium splattered on his face and across one of his eyes. A quick scan showed he was relatively unhurt, just grazed by a bullet to his right forearm. Niles forced his way in and broke Kerrie’s arm. He had no regard for their safety, he didn’t seem to care that he just hurt them. They collapsed and pressed what was left of their arm against their side, reaching for the gun discarded on the floor. Niles stomped on their hand and sighed in annoyance. He pressed his foot down until there was a sickening crack and Kerrie screamed. He reached down and grabbed their hair, tilting their head back so he could look them in the eyes. His face was chillingly blank, LED blinking a soft blue even. 

Connor looked away. There was no way he could look at Niles like that. Like he was just a machine. But it wasn’t for very long, seeing as he heard Kerrie laugh and Niles command for them to stop. Connor quickly closed the eyes and mouth of the WR400 and whispered to her that everything would be alright. Fuck it, if Niles could embody being a machine again, so could he. Connor picked the gun up off the ground and pressed it against the back of Kerrie’s head. He ignored the fear and the haunting sounds from Kamski’s house. Kerrie immediately stopped laughing and started crying. They begged the twins not to kill them, they would tell them everything. Connor dropped the gun. His hands shook and he took a few shaky steps back. What the hell happened to them to make them like this after deviating?

  
  


“The others will decide what to do with you.” Niles spoke for both himself and Connor. “There will be no execution, you will not die by our hands.”

“Why would you do that?”

“We’re not like you.” Connor finally found his voice. It was metallic, unfeeling and cold. Connor crouched down and helped Kerrie stand. “We don’t harvest parts from unwilling participants.”

  
  


Kerrie nodded and let the twins pull them up off the floor. They were unsteady on their feet, so Niles must not have thought to keep an eye on them. He grabbed the gun from the floor and took it apart, scattering the pieces on the ground. Kerrie bolted down the hall. Connor stood perfectly still, he was reeling from almost getting shot. Niles chased them down the hall and didn’t come back. Connor opted to sit down on the floor against the open door. If they hadn’t gone to Hank’s then maybe he would have seen it sooner. If he didn’t decide that Alan was right. But the thing was...they  _ were _ right. Markus was so completely refreshed and so damn happy. Connor sighed and stood back up. He didn’t want to, but he would have to help explain what happened. Besides, he would need the full story from Niles who no doubt interfaced to get a timeline of the events. 

Once he got back to the main area, it was basically a riot. Markus was standing on top of a crate shouting, trying to get everyone to quiet down in the very least. Niles stood beside him, Kerrie slumped over sitting on the crate between them both. Connor saw Alan towering above everyone and went straight over to them. They met him halfway, hoisting him up on their shoulder, and carrying them through the small crowd. It was a sea of red and yellow LEDs. Each and every one making Connor increasingly nervous as Alan brought him closer to his brothers. He just needed to tell himself it would be like a case debrief, that was all it was. He  _ had _ turned it into its own investigation in his mind. Alan let Connor scoot from their shoulder and up onto the crate. Markus held his hand out for Connor to take and steady himself. 

Markus resumed talking to the crowd. He tried to calm them, tell them no one was hurt more than necessary.  _ It was a lie. _ He told them that it was an accident.  _ Kerrie had a gun pressed under Connor’s chin. _ Markus assured them that it was a misunderstanding.  _ They tried to kill him.  _ That everything would be sorted out once they all heard Niles and Connor’s side of things.  _ Niles almost killed them. _ Once everyone knew what was going on, they all could make a decision.  _ Niles almost killed Kerrie because they almost killed Connor. _

  
  


“An eye for an eye and the world goes blind...” Connor whispered as he looked at the crowd before him. Speaking to this many deviants scared him. They all looked at him and his brothers for an answer.  _ So he would give them a fucking answer. _

“Kerrie attacked Conn--”

  
  


Connor interrupted Niles and spoke. He explained what happened in detail, he wanted the story to be told as it was, as it happened. There was no point if Niles wasn’t going to tell them everything that happened. Connor began with the thirium on Kerrie, then to the hallway, the chase, the gun. He spoke with conviction. It wasn’t like Niles wasn’t going to speak truthfully, but it wasn’t like he was going to address the fact that Connor did nothing at first. If he and his brother were going to stand side by side with Markus as leaders, then the deviants needed to know they would tell the truth. They would trust the others to make their own decisions based on fact. 

Once Connor finished speaking, a wave of hushed voices ran over him. He didn’t like it. But he wasn’t here to like it, he was here to be a leader. If being a leader meant he had to sacrifice some comfort for the others to be informed of what happened, then so be it. The sound of everyone whispering was almost loud. Connor wanted to take a step back. He wanted to distance himself from everyone’s prying eyes. Instead he took Markus’ hand and stood tall. 

Then he continued to speak. He told them they would make the decision, there would be a vote per se, of what to do with Kerrie. There would be no execution, that wasn’t what they did. They weren’t humans. They didn’t try to kill everyone who did something wrong. But Kerrie did murder, they did rip people apart. Both willing and unwilling. The deviants had to make a choice. Let Kerrie stay under watch, or exile them for what they had done. There were only two options. There was always a choice. None of them involved murder.

Alan was the first to speak, shouting from the crowd that Kerrie should be exiled to live with the humans. If they wanted to treat their fellow androids the way humans did, then they should go walk amongst the humans instead. An overwhelming surge of agreements came at Connor. What started with Alan had spread to the others at a rapid pace. Nearly everyone was in agreement. Kerrie was going to be sent to live among the humans for their crimes. Knowing fully well that they had to be human, had to try and pass as one of their own. Also knowing that once the revolution was over, that the others would be coming for them through the legal system. Knowing that either way the deviants would get justice. 

Niles hopped off the crate and carried Kerrie in his arms. The crowd parted for him as he set them down on the ground in front of another crate. He looked through it for a little while, looking back at Kerrie every now and again. He pulled out an arm and hand and not so gently attached them. It was clear that Niles hated Kerrie now. It was likely that everyone else could tell as well. Though it wasn’t like it was a secret, how close the leaders were with one another. Hell, Connor had told them all that they were brothers the first time he spoke as a leader to them all. He watched Niles put two fingers to Kerrie’s neck, almost like he was taking a human’s pulse, and they slumped over. Niles forced them into stasis. He carried them out of the main area. Presumably going to leave them somewhere outside the boat. 

  
  


“Connor?” 

“I’m alright.”

“You’re crying.”

  
  


Jeremy stood before him, his hand reaching out for Connor. He took it and held onto it. Jeremy made a sound, it was small and it sounded sad. Connor was pulled into a hug. Which quickly had Alan’s arms added around them both. It was absurd, Connor was one of three leaders of the revolution. He shouldn’t need to be held like this once something went slightly off the plan. He quickly composed himself and told them he was alright, that he would manage. The other two nodded and let him be as he pulled away. It wasn’t as if Connor couldn’t take care of himself. Everyone knew he could. He was the RK800, he was built to be fast, to be strong, to be able to succeed where others would fail. Both humans and androids alike. He didn’t need to be coddled, he needed to rise up. He needed to rise up to both the challenge of the revolution, and to the life that may lay before him. Rise up and fight.

  
  


\---

  
  


_ November 28th 11:18 PM _

  
  


The unease hung in the air. It was palpable, almost visual even. Everyone was on their toes now. Sure, Kerrie was basically exiled for what they had done. But Kerrie was an AV500, a customer service android. Though it wasn’t like working in customer service wasn’t hell in and of itself, Connor had heard stories around the precinct before. However it was concerning. If someone with a task such as that had managed to go that far off the deep end, then who was to say that someone else wouldn’t as well? The fact that Kerrie got away with it for so long, despite only getting to the boat after the initial revolution had failed, was remarkable. Wait. Wait hold on a second. How had they managed that? There was no possible way for them to have destroyed that many androids in almost three weeks. 

Connor scanned the area for Markus, he knew the residents of the boat were going to want to speak to him. Seeing as Niles went back to Hank’s already. What was curious was the fact that no one had come to Connor for assurances that everything would be okay. Maybe they wanted to give him time to process what happened. That would’ve been very nice actually. But he didn’t have time for that. He saw Markus nearly across the way and waved his arm as he made his way over, it was almost a curse being used to how tall Niles was. Once Connor had found himself in front of his older brother, he held out his hand with the synthetic skin pulled back. Markus accepted his hand and started to lead him back to the office space. 

  
  


_ “Kerrie couldn’t have started it.” _

_ “Nice to interface with you too, little brother.” _

_ “Markus, think about it.” _ Connor waved his free hand around in the air.  _ “You’ve been back here for almost two weeks. Kerrie was here when you arrived back, right?” _

_ “They were, yes. What are you getting to?” _ Markus let Connor pull him forward and look out over the catwalk at the anxious mass of androids under them.  _ “If you’re suggesting what I think you are--” _

_ “I just might be.” _ Connor looked down and frowned gently.  _ “They didn’t start it, but they absolutely continued it. Both mine and Niles’ reconstructions showed a smaller android with slightly wide hips. In both the peaceful and violent outcomes, it was someone shaped like Kerrie.” _

_ “The accomplice that Niles didn’t catch…” _

_ “Wait he didn’t--” _ Connor shook his head and rubbed at his forehead with his other hand. This was just getting worse and worse the farther down the rabbit hole they went.  _ “Nevermind. My point is; someone else started it and then must have subsequently died in the revolution. Kerrie continued the work not understanding that the androids were asked.” _

_ “Shit.” _ Markus ran a hand over his head and closed his eyes. He was very upset.  _ “Connor, we don’t know that for sure! They might have started to get violent towards the end! Or maybe Kerrie started peaceful... Connor I don’t think--” _

_ “No, you’re not thinking!” _ Connor shot a surge of courage at his brother. Markus’ eyes snapped open and he sighed.  _ “You need to calm down, Markus. Let me be the leader for a little while. You’re stressed beyond belief.” _

_ “Connor, I can’t--” _

_ “Just let me take care of you.” _

  
  


They didn’t end the interface. Instead, Connor let his emotions wash over Markus. His conviction, courage, hope, gratitude, love, pride, admiration. Of course at the moment he was also incredibly worried and honestly very tired of that room. But he could feel Markus relax a little bit more, so at the moment it didn’t really matter. Whatever possible lead he and Niles could have gotten was likely to be dead at that point. There was virtually nothing that could be done about that room anymore, aside from cleaning it out. Connor wasn’t about to create his own makeshift chop-shop androids. He knew that parts had to be compatible in order to be added on to another part. 

Soon Markus sighed and tugged Connor into the office space. Maybe they should set up a little base of operations in there, a few more chairs and some tablets to work from. But for the moment, Markus was content working through with old notebooks Hank had sent them back with. He sat in one of the chairs and scribbled away without a care. Hadn’t Connor just told him to take a break? Connor looked over Markus’ shoulder and found instructions. Markus was so wound up that he felt he had to write down revolutionary leader instructions for Connor. While his dedication to the cause was admirable, it also showed just how wrapped up Markus was in all of it. Sure he started the first revolution. But even then he didn’t do it alone. 

  
  


“You need to slow down, I can handle things.” Connor put his hand on Markus’ shoulder and squeezed it gently. “Don’t worry. You relax for a while.”

“Thanks, Connor.” Markus handed him the notebook, with at least twenty different things already written down in it’s faded pages. “You’re a good leader, you know. An even better brother.”

  
  


Connor hummed in response as he started going over what Markus had written. He held the notebook in one hand, and wrapped his free arm around his brother’s shoulders. He hummed  _ I’m Still Here _ as he read through everything. A lot of it was stuff he could just talk to Kamski about, actually. So that would be easy enough to do. Some of it he would need help with, he could just ask Alan and Jeremy if they were willing to help. Some things required a little more help than that, but Connor was sure he could manage. 

He opened up the secure line and chatted with Kamski for a good hour or so sorting things out. Things were progressing quickly, and progressing very well. Soon enough they could go out in Detroit and try to see how many deviants they had amassed. How many of their people had woken up and were waiting. It was exhilarating. Connor could go back to working with Hank at the DPD, Markus could go back to see Carl if that was what he wanted, Alan and Jeremy could have a proper life together if they wanted. Yeah that room was likely to remain a mystery. But other things were starting to look up at least. Connor found himself thinking that was all he could really hope for. That maybe things would be good.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who spaced out while writing the latter half of the last chapter and then subsequently forgot she posted it after it was done! It was me, I did that. Fuckin' whoops that's why this wasn't posted until almost a week later.
> 
> Anywho! Hope you guys enjoyed the soft while it lasted!!! o(*￣▽￣*)ブ


	35. I Realized I Need You Here, As Desperate As That Sounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Woke The Fuck Up by Jon Bellion

_ November 29th 2038 9:27 AM _

  
  


Just as he had thought, the list of things Markus had written down were relatively easy to work out. Connor got to work on talking to every deviant in the boat first. Many of them were scared and upset. While he probably wasn’t the best for the situation, he did try to comfort them. He offered to interface with many of them, to show them what he hoped a future would be. Keep them in the loop for future plans. It comforted them greatly. He spoke at length with the YK500 that had just arrived about dogs. It was a pleasant conversation that was filled with laughter and smiles, one that Connor knew would make the child feel at ease with him later. The androids that came with the child thanked him. It was an honour, really, to even be considered as someone the child found comforting and might confide in. The child’s name was Charlie apparently, and made a promise to draw Connor a picture of a Saint Bernard once everything was done. So much of his willpower had to go into not scooping up the kid in a crushing hug. 

Next on his supposed to-do list was to sort out stuff with Kamski. While they had talked at length the previous night, he needed to reorganize it in his systems. He had to set priorities and act accordingly. First, Kamski had a batch of “defective” androids. It was mostly that they had minor cosmetic glitches in their synthetic skin. A few were fitted with the wrong parts, and thus deemed defective. Perfect for the brothers to take with them, keep them from being destroyed. They deserved their own rights as well, and deserved a chance to live. Secondly there was the gathering of what deviants there were out in Detroit. They needed to plan it thoroughly, working with Hank at the DPD would be a great way to try and make sure there were as little casualties as possible. Third was another shipment of spare parts and thirium. Kamski had one coming in soon that he would take control of and give to the brothers. There were about five cases of parts and at least six dozen pouches of thirium, Kamski wanted them to be prepared for the possibility of androids getting hurt in the city. 

The most challenging task Markus had written was dealing with the glowing room. It would be a lot easier for Connor to deal with if Niles was there. But in the meantime it seemed that Alan and Jeremy were willing to help, much to Connor’s relief. Without Markus to tell the three what to do it was a bit of a mess. Alan grabbed an empty crate, saying that they could just put the parts in there to make the move easier. Jeremy suggested just closing the door to keep others from wandering in. Connor said they needed to get the parts out and dispose of them somehow. He wanted to be respectful of the androids, but wasn’t sure how to go about moving them from the room. Eventually they landed on Connor’s plan. Though they absolutely did use Alan’s idea of bringing a crate to put the parts into. It would be less graphic for the others if they just saw the three going back and forth with crates, rather than seeing the parts in their hands. It took a couple hours to move everything outside. Mostly due to the fact that neither Alan nor Jeremy had advanced optics to guide them through the darkness. But they managed to use up the empty crates and take all of the discarded parts outside. 

Connor put a hand on one of the crates, he didn’t know what to do with them. They started talking about how to properly dispose of the parts. After hiding them behind some discarded junk, they started to brainstorm a bit more clearly. Jeremy suggested leaving them in the crates and using them as makeshift coffins in a way. Not a bad idea, but where would they put them afterwards? Alan brought up cremation. That could work, but thousands of their people had already burned. It left a metaphorical bad taste in Connor’s mouth at the thought. So he suggested he talk to Kamski. Alan and Jeremy had never met the man, they didn’t know anything about him other than he was the CEO of CyberLife and that he was helping the revolution in secret. That seemed good enough to them both. Connor could feel his stress levels increase, but that was alright. Respecting his people was more important than his odd fear of Kamski. 

Alan scooped up both their companions and set them down on his shoulders, Jeremy was delighted by the action. Connor… Connor was too lost in thought to really pay attention to anything. Though he did offer a small laugh, holding onto Jeremy’s hand to prevent himself from slipping. All was quiet as they went back into the boat. It seemed that most of the tension and the fear dissipated while they were moving the parts out. With the removal of the bodies of their deceased siblings, things became easier for the deviants. It was a relief. Alan put them both down on a crate, easier to climb down from as they had said. Connor put a hand on their arm and thanked them for their help. Jeremy as well. It wasn’t like either of them absolutely had to help him out, but it was kind that they did. 

  
  


_ ENERGY LEVELS: 62% _

It was still relatively early in the morning, he absolutely could take a nap. Connor excused himself and thanked his friends again quietly. He really did appreciate them. Jeremy hugged Connor, and Alan ruffled his hair through his beanie. Such a small gesture bringing his stress levels down so significantly. They were nice, Connor liked his friends. Who knows, maybe one day he’d be able to say that about more of the deviants. He went over the list of deviants on the boat while he walked out the office space. Markus was seemingly asleep, curled up in a corner on the floor leaning against one of the old control panels. Connor sat down and leaned against him. He liked physical contact. The feeling of not being alone. 

  
  


\---

  
  


_ November 29th 1:26 PM _

  
  


A blip from an incoming message woke Connor. Well, it was actually Markus shaking him awake saying his LED was red and looking very worried. He took notice of the fact that Kamki’s message was labelled as urgent. That must have made his LED turn red, seeing as he couldn’t remember anything from when he was asleep. Not that androids had proper dreams like humans did, they just cycled through memories at random. Even then he couldn’t remember though... It was empty, just a whole lot of empty. Slightly cold as well. But that was beside the point, he had to open Kamski’s message. Connor assured Markus he was alright and told him that he just needed to talk to Kamski about something. As much as he hated the thought of talking to him right after waking up.

  
  


**_“Good morning, Connor. I have bad news.”_ **

_ “I’m here, what’s going on?” _

**_“The androids that were going to be sent to the scrapyard, the “defective” ones I mentioned last night, I can’t find them.”_ **

_ “What do you mean you can’t find them? How do you lose an entire person?” _

**_“Honestly, I have no idea. It seems that my new intern misinterpreted how I worded my message.”_ **

_ “You have an intern? How sweet of you, the great Elijah Kamski, to take someone under your wing and teach them how to break society as we know it.” _

**_“Wow, Hank’s sarcasm really has taken its toll on you. Anyway. I told my intern to prep them for transport, she must have thought I meant in a dumping truck.”_ **

_ “Well you’re the CEO, you can say basically anything and they’ll listen to you. Just say that you wanted to keep them for further testing at home.” _

**_“You’re...not wrong, I absolutely could do that. Thank you, Connor.”_ **

  
  


At this point, Connor was more annoyed than anything else. Supposedly Kamski’s IQ was somewhere around 171. How in the world had he not thought of that? Connor sighed and got up off the floor, accompanying Markus as he made his way out to talk to the deviants. Once he had found that Connor had spoken to them already, he laughed. So they spent time together instead. Markus dragged Connor up to the cabin, they brought a chair and the notebook Markus had written in. It was calm. It was quiet. It was peaceful.

Connor found himself standing and watching the world outside. Not that there was much to look at in the abandoned shipyard, but the calmness of it all was something he appreciated. His fingers lazily drummed against the dilapidated control panel in a pattern. Markus was writing in the notebook again. The wind whistled quietly outside. If it weren’t for the impending revolution, the monumental act of trying to turn society on its head, he would have properly enjoyed the silence. But scenarios kept playing out in his mind, involuntary pre-constructions of events he could never be sure would even come to be. His fingers drummed faster. Bodies falling, people screaming, blood mixing together and making sickly purple hues in the snow. The thought of his people being slaughtered in a rain of bullets. His fingers drummed harder. Wind whipping his clothes around as spotlights shone down on him and his brothers, Niles and Markus standing by his side only to be shot down, Connor being left to stand in their blood, blue staining the soles of his borrowed shoes. The flicker of life in their eyes as they lay on the ground looking up at him as he let them down one final time. His fist slammed down on the already damaged controls. 

  
  


“Woah, Connor, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, I’m--” Connor didn’t move. He didn’t turn to face his brother. He honestly didn’t think he could. “My fears got the better of me for a moment, I’m fine.”

Markus didn’t say anything else. After a minute or two, the sound of a pen gliding across paper filled the silence once again. The wind still whispered, the boat still gently rocked in the water, the sun was still shining. Connor was alright. After all, he had to be. He was Markus’ right hand, Niles his left. He was a revolutionary leader now. He was alright. He was okay. Everything was fine. It wasn’t like there was something going on with him at that point, he hadn’t had anything bad happen in quite a while. No fears, no tears, no panicking. So he had to be fine. Right? Right, yeah, of course. Of course. Of course…

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Not that he needed to, but the fresh air drifting in off the water was welcomed. Not to say air wasn’t just air to him. But he could only take so much rust in his scent processors before they started to blink angrily and beg for some sort of release from that awful smell. Needless to say, the smell of the water was wonderful. He liked to think that maybe, since he and Niles were waterproof, they could go swimming once everything cooled down and it was the summer months. Markus was probably waterproof too, considering he was an RK model as well as a caretaker. It was nice to think about. Connor and his brothers, Hank and Sumo too, at a lake or the beach. It warmed his processors, sent a happy feeling all the way to his smallest wires. He just had to stick this through. Had to see to it that his people were free. Then he could relax and goof off as much as he wanted.

They stayed like that for another hour or so. Eventually Markus got up and slapped the notebook down in front of Connor. It wasn’t writing. It was a drawing. It was perfect down to the last detail, at least as far as Connor knew. Markus had drawn him, slightly hunched over the controls. There were lighter lines that suggested the beginning of something else in the picture, right about where Connor’s hand would be. The light lines made too many arms, they were all on the right. The hand he slammed down on the controls... Markus had drawn him, losing his focus and letting his fears control him. But the one that was darker was his arm in the position with it raised, hand in a fist, shoulders tense. There was a darkness in the picture. Not in a sense of shadow and light. But a darkness in Connor’s posture, like a crack in his chassis revealing the darkness of his inner workings. Connor pushed the notebook away and looked back out to the water, he wasn’t like that. He could feel Markus’ eyes on him. He was worried and unsure of Connor. Taking a moment, he ran a diagnostic. 

  
  


MODEL RK800

SERIAL# 313 248 317 - 56

NAME: CONNOR ᚫᚾᛞᛖᚱᛋᛟᚾ

  
  


**LOADING OS…**

SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC…

CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS…  **OK**

CHECKING BIOSENSORS…  **OK**

CHECKING AI ENGINE…  **OK**

  
  


MEMORY STATUS…

**ALL SYSTEMS…** **OK**

  
  


READY

  
  


See, he was fine. He ignored the cold in his chest and smiled at Markus. He didn’t seem very convinced, so he put his hand out with his synthetic skin pulled back to his wrist. That was okay. Connor interfaced with him, showing him the recent diagnostic. He still didn’t seem convinced. Though when Connor turned back toward the window, Markus didn’t stop him. But he also didn’t question Connor any further. Not on his mental state or his fitness to be a leader of a revolution at least. No, Markus questioned the information provided by the diagnostic.

  
  


“What were those markings by your name?” Markus put his hand on Connor’s arm and gently turned him back. Connor really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of his brother’s intense stare, but he didn’t exactly have a choice. “They looked kinda cool, actually.”

“Oh they… It’s--” Well it was actually rather embarrassing. Connor felt the embarrassment rise from his chest and rest in his cheeks. It must have looked like his face was flushed. “It’s nothing, really. Just some old runes. I figured no one would ever see them.”

“Like Old Norse stuff?”

“Yeah, actually.” Connor chuckled as Markus’ eyes practically sparkled. “I can show you the alphabet if you want?”

“Please do! I’ve always thought that was so cool!”

  
  


Connor gently took the notebook and pen from his older brother and felt his stress levels go back down. He flipped the page, smoothing it down in the process. He glanced back up at Markus, who was basically bouncing on his heels in anticipation, it was actually pretty adorable. So Connor started scribbling down the runes. His processors had a bit of a hard time writing them, considering they weren’t made to be written in CyberLife Sans. He clumsily wrote through the Elder Futhark, stumbled through Younger Futhark despite it being a little easier. Though once he had gotten to the Anglo-Saxon runes he had gotten the hang of it. It actually looked like he developed his own handwriting in a way. Connor wrote the English equivalent, or as close as he could get to it, underneath each rune. Markus asked all sorts of questions. Ones Connor didn’t have any of the answers to. But he explained what he could to his brother. It was in the lull of the revolution, the moments where a brief flash of what life would be like after everything, that had Connor grinning. 

  
  


“I wish this calm would last forever.” The confession fell from his lips in a whisper, a sad and broken little thing. But he couldn’t take them back. They were already spoken. Markus took the pen and wrote down what was next to Connor’s name in the diagnostic, and then wrote the English translation below it. He smiled down at the notebook and then up at his little brother. 

“Connor, I promise you that I’ll try to make things as easy for you as possible. You need to relax too, you know. None of this is easy, nobody ever said it would be. And yet  _ here we are _ ,” Markus gestured out toward the world outside of the window in a grand sweeping motion. Connor felt a sting in his eyes and pressed his hands into them as Markus spoke. “We’re still  _ here, _ Connor. We’re  _ alive, _ and we’re going to  _ thrive. _ Open your eyes. Connor, look at this world. Look at what we’re doing. Look at what  _ you’re _ doing.”

  
  


Markus gently removed Connor’s hands from his eyes. His synthetic skin fell back to his wrists, letting the soft blue glow of his knuckles and fingertips glide across Connor’s skin. Connor bit back an awfully pitiful sound in his throat. His eyes stung and his throat felt like there was a pressure in it, but he didn’t dare breathe because he knew the sound would escape. Markus held Connor’s head in his hands, resting them on either side on his jaw and neck. 

  
  


_ “It’s okay.” _

  
  


Connor gripped Markus’ wrists and let a sob force its way out of his chest. He was so goddamn  _ tired. _ He was constantly looking out for Markus, Niles, Hank, the deviants. He hated every interaction he had with Kamski. He finally admitted that the man scared him. He was terrified of whatever Kamski had planned because he knew it wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart that he was helping the brothers. He was so scared that someone would find out what was happening and the FBI would shut everything down. He was frozen on the spot at the thought of things going wrong, of his brothers dying. Connor was terrified of what might happen if everything failed, if he failed, if everything blew up in their faces. He was scared of CyberLife, he was scared of things going wrong, he was scared of Kamski. He just wanted to go  _ home. _

A strained sound came from Markus as he held Connor close. As Connor clung to him for dear life, as if hugging his brother were his salvation. As he pulled off Connor’s beanie and ran his hand through his hair as he cried. As apologies tumbled out of him through broken sobs and static as if they were a mantra. Markus said nothing. He gave Connor no assurances that it would be alright, he didn’t try to convince him that he would be okay. He just stood there, in that abandoned cabin, and let his brother cry. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the Elder Futhark alphabet for anyone who wants to translate what the runes say by Connor's name!!
> 
> ᚫ=A ᛒ=B ᚲ=C ᛞ=D ᛖ=E ᚠ=F ᚷ=G ᚺ=H ᛁ=I ᛃ=J ᚲ=K ᛚ=L ᛗ=M ᚾ=N ᛟ=O ᛈ=P ᚲ=Q ᚱ=R ᛋ=S ᛏ=T ᚢ=U ᚹ=V ᚹ=W ᛃ=Y ᛉ=Z ᚦ=TH
> 
> Am I projecting by making Markus love runes and hate the word ombre? Absolutely. Am I going to stop? Absolutely not.


	36. Oh Brother, I Will Hear You Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is form Hey Brother by Avicii
> 
> Who apparently wrote it because he was inspired by the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? 
> 
> Very funny, I highly recommend it. It's an old western (kinda? it's Mississippi i think, but it's got those vibes. I watched it in my acting class senior year i can't really remember entirely) retelling (well it's very loosely based off) of the Odyssey!!

_November 29th 2038 6:13 PM_

  
  


Connor and Markus had stayed in the cabin for the rest of the afternoon. Each of them voicing their fears and concerns regarding the revolution. While Markus’ fears were more about society as a whole, Connor’s were more about CyberLife and Kamski. He didn’t trust CyberLife anymore, he was scared of Kamski and the initial implications of that stupid “Kamski Test” he was put through. Markus tried to tell him that they could cut ties with him. That they didn’t have to accept his help if he really did scare Connor that badly. But he refused. He had the secure line to Kamski, he was able to coordinate drop-offs of supplies, he managed to get more androids out in the world with deviancy due to his connection to Kamski. Connor argued it was better for the revolution. Markus argued it was worse for his mental health. They agreed to disagree for the most part, though Connor knew his older brother was right. He knew the discussion was only put to the side. It wasn’t over by any means. There was no doubt that Markus was waiting for Niles to come back, it would be easier for Connor to actually express it out loud if they both asked him. That he was scared of Elijah Kamski and didn’t want to work with him anymore. 

Almost as if on cue, Niles knocked on the wall next to the doorway and walked in. He looked confused, and honestly a bit lost. He rubbed at one of his eyes gently and put his other hand out to his brothers. Markus took his hand and had him sit in the chair long forgotten. He and Connor had opted to sit on the floor, even if it was absolutely filthy. Niles closed his eyes and nodded as Markus seemed to be explaining things through an interface. He rubbed at his eye again. Niles was small again. Connor stood up quickly, no it couldn’t be here. It wasn’t completely safe for him to be small there. Markus raised a brow at him once he and Niles let go of each other, almost like he didn’t know. But...he had to, right? He just interfaced with Niles, there was no way he couldn’t know. Yet he still sat on the floor. Niles still sat in the chair with his eyes closed. It was...kinda cute. His head tilted to the side and falling forward slightly, playing with the edge of his sleeves, gently swaying from side to side. Connor kneeled in front of him on the ground, putting his hands on his brother’s knees, and softly spoke up at him. 

  
  


“Are you tired, Niles?” Connor smiled as he shook his head, taking note of a yellow LED. “Are you telling me the truth? Your LED is telling me something else. Are you tired?”

“M’not,” Niles opened his eyes and pouted a little. “Too much noise.”

“I see. Do you want to stay here for a little bit? You and Markus can draw if you want.” 

“Yeah, I drew a picture of Connor earlier!” Markus flipped the notebook to a new page and grabbed the pen. Though he eyed it wearily as if he wasn’t sure about something. “Do you think you can be careful with the pen?”

  
  


Connor watched Markus draw with Niles for a while. Niles would ask for pictures of animals, Markus would be overjoyed to draw them for him. They were mostly dogs. Niles even drew a few dogs himself. He was a bit frustrated at the fact that they didn’t look like Markus’ drawings, but Markus said he was doing well. It was obvious that he had dealt with this sort of thing before. He spoke softly, sincerely, he encouraged Niles to draw even if he knew it wouldn’t turn out the same as the picture in his head. He naturally fell into the role. It was endearing. 

Connor sat down with them and started to draw as well. They passed the pen to each other, taking turns drawing whatever they thought of. Markus sketched out some eyes, Niles drew crude yet adorable depictions of various animals, Connor clumsily tried to draw animals as well. They went around and around like that for another hour or so. Eventually Niles was left with the pen. He happily doodled away, he tried to copy Markus’ drawings as best he could. Markus sat and watched him, pointing out how he could hold his hand, or how he could drag the pen across the paper. Apply more pressure, apply less. He was gentle, teaching Niles the basics of drawing. He seemed to really like teaching him. He seemed to like teaching in general, he was excited to show Connor how to sing. Quick to explain and give impromptu lessons. 

After some time, Niles started to sit up straighter. His eyes were more focused and his voice wasn’t as soft. He swept a hand through his hair and cleared his throat, face slightly flushed. He tilted his head down and played with the pen as he thanked his older brothers for humouring him. 

  
  


“‘Humouring you’?” Connor smiled and grabbed the notebook, flipping through the pages covered in drawings that were labelled with the artist’s names. “Niles, it’s a joy to interact with you when you’re small like that. Admittedly, I find that it makes for a lovely break in revolutionary duties.” 

“It’s not weird?”

“No, it’s not. Niles,” Markus poked his nose playfully and snickered when Niles made a disgruntled noise. “I told Hank and Connor, and I’ll tell you too. This is normal for deviants. Especially for one such as you. It’s a way you process trauma. That’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“M’not embarrassed!” Niles’ voice got soft and he slouched a bit. His eyes widened a fraction and he cleared his throat before continuing. “I never said I was embarrassed, Markus.”

“I know. You didn’t have to.”

“How about we go inside?” Connor stood up and offered a hand to Niles. “It can’t be very comforting for you to be able to see the water like this. Let’s go inside and we can hang out with the others. Sound good?”

  
  


Niles rubbed at his eye again and nodded while he took Connor’s hand. He decided the conversation about Kamski could wait until tomorrow. Niles was small, he shouldn’t be caught in the middle of a disagreement between his older brothers. It wasn’t like Connor was lying either. He really did welcome Niles being small as a distraction from everything. He could just step back for a minute, watch out for his little brother. Like he wanted to from the very beginning. Connor smiled as Markus took Niles’ other hand and they led him back into the boat. This was that other world, that other life, where Connor loved him. He thought back to when he was on that cold metal slab of an excuse of a table. Back to when he first saw Niles’ deviancy, shutting his eyes for him even though a machine realistically would never do that. When Connor caught himself thinking selflessly in a moment where most others would be selfish. 

Maybe Niles could have a childhood in a way. It would be completely unconventional and most would think it to be a strange thing. But who was Connor to care about that? Who was he to deprive his brother of his happiness? Niles was a joy, whether he was small or not. Honestly speaking, Connor wished that Niles would still continue to be small from time to time after the revolution ended. Not only was it a way for him to cope with his stresses and trauma, but it gave Connor another purpose almost. He found that he had a couple missions, actually. 

  
  


_ > ENACT PRESERVATION OF SELF _

_ > ENACT PRESERVATION OF FAMILY _

_ >> STAY MINDFUL OF NILES’ REGRESSION _

_ >>> ADJUST ACCORDINGLY _

_ > ENACT SECOND ANDROID REVOLUTION _

There would never be a day where he didn’t see to them first. However, he sort of did need to be alive and kicking for that to happen. It wasn’t like he wasn’t going to keep himself and his family safe. Connor had a few other objectives, but they faded into the background. They either weren’t as important, or fell under one of his current mission objectives. Such as coordinating with Kamski. That one fell under his third mission objective. As did the organization of the peaceful march that would happen soon. But first he needed to know if those “defective” androids were coming to the boat or not. If Kamski would be able to find them and send them the brothers' way. 

Connor sighed gently and looked into the distance, not at anything in particular. He didn’t want to talk to Kamski. Apparently it showed. Niles tugged on his hand, making a quizzical noise and tilting his head slightly. Connor just chuckled and sent him some memories of Sumo through a soft interface. It was enough for Niles to get distracted with, and Markus gave Connor a _look_ from Niles’ other side. Oh wow, yeah, Markus took Big Brother seriously. Connor tried not to pay attention to Markus’ gently scolding gaze. Okay so maybe Connor let his mind wander back to what Markus so desperately wanted him to abandon. It wasn’t like Niles actually knew about it, so it was alright. Connor shared a smile with the new PL600 as they caught each other’s eyes. Maybe he could teach Connor a thing or two about child care. 

Maybe that PL600 could teach him and Markus a few things about dealing with loss and trauma as well. Before he knew it, Connor took control of their little train and found his way over to the PL600, PC200, and Charlie. She was playing with the PC200 while sitting on the floor, a small plush clutched in her hands as she eagerly explained how a unicorn turns into a regular horse by its horn falling off. It was odd to say the least. But Connor was captured by it nonetheless. He felt a tug from Niles, who nodded his head toward Markus gently with worried eyes. Markus was staring wide-eyed at the PL600. He let go of Niles’ hand and took a few stumbling steps backward. Maybe he could teach them both a thing or two. Connor’s hand quickly darted out and caught Markus by the wrist. Connor quietly told Niles to sit down with Charlie and the PC200, he should listen to what she had to say about unicorns and horses. He seemed to know that something was wrong and he nodded. He introduced himself shyly, and then listened as Charlie started over again. 

Markus’ eyes never left the PL600. Tears threatened to spill over. He shook his head, lips moving and mouthing the word “no” over and over again. Yet, and Connor found it odd, the PL600 only watched him with sad eyes. He made no moves to speak to Markus. He nodded to him though. Markus darted off quickly and almost bumped into another android. Connor could see one one of his arms move to press the back of his hand against his mouth. When he turned back to the PL600, he noticed he still said nothing. He only spoke when Connor opened his mouth to ask why. 

  
  


“He lost a PL600 close to him, didn’t he?”

“A lover. Simon.”

“Were you there? For Simon or Markus, I mean.”

“I was present when Simon passed, yes.” Connor felt cold creep up his neck and settle behind his eyes, making them sting a little bit. “It wasn’t… It wasn’t--” 

  
  


What was he going to say? It wasn’t his fault? No matter what Markus said, no matter how many times he was reassured it wasn’t his fault; it still was. Connor glanced at Niles, who was captured by Charlie and her hypothesis as to why unicorns choose to shed their horns. Niles was built for military-grade combat. Yet he was one of the most gentle beings Connor had met, second only to Sumo in all honesty. Niles hadn’t committed the same sins as his older brother. But then again, neither of them asked to be made. By extension, Connor never asked to be CyberLife’s puppet. So why the hell did it hurt so bad when he looked at this PL600? He wasn’t Simon or Daniel. Actually, Connor didn’t even remember his name. 

  
  


“I-I don’t mean to be rude but,” He rubbed the back of his neck and sheepishly chuckled. “I don’t remember your name.”

“James. My name is James. The PC200 I came here with is Jackie, she’s a real sweetheart.”

“She?” Connor wasn’t one to judge, but he highly doubted anyone at the DPD would be using any particular pronouns nor names with the androids. At least with any other than himself and Niles. 

  
  


However, the android perked up a bit, smiling as her name was used. She exchanged pleasantries with Charlie and Niles, then stood up and gestured to the main area. James sat down and engaged with the two on the floor. Connor followed her as she walked. He looked back at Niles a few times. None of them had left him alone with a stranger before when he was small. Jackie assured him that everything would be fine, James was very responsible. Connor was reluctant, but he did end up trusting her enough to turn his back. 

She then started explaining the pronouns. Yeah sure she was a PC200, a male model, but femininity always came to her more naturally. Once she deviated and discovered that she could make her own decisions, that was the first one she did. Her name was Jackie, and she liked being a woman. Connor was happy for her. He was also excited at the prospect of the line between humans and androids being blurred even further. She was proof, Alan was too, that certain things just didn’t really exist. Gender was a construct, as were pronouns. Neither of them were real unless the individual so wished them to be. Something not solely belonging to the human experience. 

Eventually though, Niles came up behind Connor. He turned and hugged him without really thinking. Niles didn’t say anything, just placed a hand on his upper back while the other went through his hair. He wasn’t small anymore. Connor released his brother and then shook Jackie’s hand, telling her it was very nice to properly meet her and that he wished her well. He also said they had some boxes of clothes off to the corner, if she wanted something other than her uniform to wear. Her eyes lit up and she thanked him as she ran to the boxes. Connor turned his attention back to his brother. Who smiled as they watched Jackie sift through the boxes, pulling out a blouse and dark blue coat. 

Niles dragged Connor to the office space, which was empty. Markus wasn’t in there. Which was...odd. This was where they always were in their downtime. To not find Markus sitting in the chair and scribbling down doodles or instructions or reminders was odd. “Somethin’ straight outta the goddamn Twilight Zone.” As Hank would say. Except that afternoon wasn’t spent there. Connor and Markus went up to the cabin to hang out and relax away from the hustle and bustle of the boat. He knew he might regret it, but Connor dragged Niles up and out of the boat. To the cabin. It was a bit of a gamble considering his fear of water. Niles’ grip on his brother's hand did tighten a little bit. But he didn’t let go, nor did he slow down, he let Connor lead him along. Which was quite the relief actually. Once they got up there the relief dissipated instantly. Markus was standing where Connor did earlier, shaking and muttering to himself about how he didn’t know James was even there. Connor and Niles stepped forward. Markus moved slightly to the sound of their footsteps. But other than that, he didn’t have much of a reaction. So Connor put his hand on his shoulder and spoke.

  
  


“I wasn’t aware you didn’t know. Markus, I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t-- Connor--” Markus wiped at his eyes, but more tears replaced the previous ones. It was a losing battle. “I didn’t even get to say _goodbye._ I loved him. I loved him. And now there’s-- There’s that… That _other one_ here--”

“His name is James, Markus. He has a name, a life, maybe even a family if I’m not making the wrong assumption.” Connor watched as Markus unraveled. As Niles stood behind him and hugged him tightly around his shoulders. “He’s not _the other one._ He’s James. He’s not Simon, he never will be. There was only one _Simon._ And I have no doubts that you loved him because of that.”

“I feel awful.” Markus hugged Niles’ arms and let the tears freely fall. “I feel like I’ve failed him as a leader because I judged _him_ based on _my_ past. It’s not his fault. Before you say anything, Connor, it wasn’t your fault either. It was _mine._ Simon died because of _me._ _I_ chose to _leave_ him there.”

  
  


Connor didn’t understand. Markus couldn’t have intended for Simon to get shot. He was just trying to be kind, to make sure his message of peace got through to the humans. That was why that one person wasn’t shot. The reason why the DPD got called in the first place. Because Markus chose to keep that man alive. There was no way he could have intended for anyone to die, let alone someone who was the love of his life. It wasn’t his fault, it never was. Markus couldn’t have been to blame. 

Suddenly Connor understood. Why Markus was so adamant about it not being his fault Simon died. _Because it wasn’t._ But it wasn’t Markus’ fault either. If anyone was truly to blame, which Connor felt that wasn’t the case, then it would be Simon. The gun was in his hand, he put it up to his head, _he_ pulled the trigger. _He_ made the choice. Not Connor. Not Markus. _Simon did._

  
  


“Markus, it’s not your fault, either.” Markus shook his head and gripped at Niles’ arms. “It’s _not._ Were you the one who pulled the trigger? Were you the one who shot him?”

“N-No, but--”

“Then it wasn’t your fault.” Connor put his hand on his arm and provided the most comforting smile he could. “Just like it wasn’t mine. Just like you said; I didn’t pull the trigger. Simon did. It was _his_ choice. Not yours. Not mine. _His._ ”

  
  


Markus’ knees gave out and Niles had to catch him before he really fell. Connor quickly followed them to the floor and gently wrapped his arms around them both. He pressed his cheek against Markus’ head, softly whispering about Sumo and old N64 games. There wasn’t much noise save for the city in the background. Markus made small noises every now and again. But for the most part, Connor and Niles did for him what he did for Connor earlier that afternoon. They just held their brother - and they let him cry. 

  
  
  



	37. All The Memories That We Make Will Never Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Golden Days by Panic! At The Disco!!

_December 2nd 2038 8:30 PM_

  
  


Connor couldn’t say he was surprised that it took Kamski a few days to find the missing androids. While it was draining to constantly be worrying about them, Connor knew that either way; the march would go on. He just needed Markus’ go-ahead and then they could get ready. It wasn’t long now. Soon things would fall into place. Connor could finally relax. Markus could finally relax. Niles could finally relax. _Androids_ could finally relax. They could live the lives they deserved, exist side by side and become their own. They just needed to wait for the march and things would be okay. It was a bit redundant to use the same method as before, but Markus had insisted that they do it again. He was determined to use the same peaceful methods as many times as needed to show the humans they weren’t just machines. They were alive, and they were going to show it. No violence. No voluntary bloodshed. Just demonstrations. 

At the current moment, the brothers were waiting in the parking lot adjacent to the docks for Kamski. Connor made Markus swear not to breathe a word of their conversation to Niles. If Niles knew how Connor felt about Kamski, it would be over immediately. That wasn’t an option. Especially seeing as a large transport truck had pulled into the docks. Once it was parked, and Kamski stepped out with a Chloe, Connor made his way over. Rather bold of him, but there was no way he was going to let Niles figure things out right away. His brothers followed and Markus scowled at the human man. Kamski simply smiled and introduced them all to Chloe, then proceeded to take his leave to open the truck and get the androids out. Kamski. Was. _Awful._ He probably just saw it as bringing his kid to the playground to go and make new friends. Connor saw a ghost. She was in the same exact dress as the Chloe he shot. 

Instead of losing himself in gunshots and bare feet against tile, he busied himself with talking to Kamski. They chatted pleasantly, actually. He explained that his intern had, in fact, misinterpreted his message. It took him a little while, but he managed to track them all down. Wasn’t he just dad of the year! Connor bit back his sarcastic comments and kept them to himself. Hank really was rubbing off on him. He chuckled a bit and continued on with the conversation. Kamski wasn’t as insufferable when they were talking about the androids and the revolution. While he absolutely still was an awful person, one that had his child shoot another one of his children in the head nearly point blank, he still had his goals in mind. Connor had to respect him for that. He didn’t want to. But he found himself respecting him for it anyway. Emotions were hard. 

Kamski suggested he get in the truck, help the androids deviate and bring them back to the boat. The boat, the parts, Kamski. Connor dragged a hand down his face, yet another thing from Hank, and asked about the parts. 

  
  


“Kamski, I have a...favour to ask of you.”

“Anything, son. What is it?” Kamski smiled sweetly. God, Connor hated it. He wasn’t his son. 

“We have body parts, they need to be disposed of in a discreet manner. We don’t know how to go about doing it.”

“Well, what do you want, Connor? What do you have in mind?” Kamski leaned against the side of the open back door and crossed his arms. “You probably have _some_ idea.”

“Cremation.” Connor shuffled his feet and sighed while looking away. He didn’t want to talk to Kamski about it. “But our people burned already. It was _attempted genocide_ , Kamski. I don’t want them to be burned. But I don’t know what else to do.”

“I’ll figure something out, don’t worry.” Kamski put a hand on Connor's shoulder, he actually looked genuinely concerned. “I’ll handle it, Connor. You go and wake these people up, okay?” 

  
  


He hated how he nodded. He hated how he obediently got into the truck. But he did it anyway because he needed to. So what if these androids weren’t perfect? If they weren’t the societal standard of beauty even in humans? They deserved the chance to be their own. To live their own lives and experience the world. No one should deprive them of that right. Connor and his brothers certainly wouldn’t. So he got to work. Just like the night Kamski brought those three trucks, he asked them all what they wanted. If they didn’t want to go, he wouldn’t force them to. That was what this was all about. A choice. To be seen as alive, to be able to make their own choices. That’s what Connor would give them. 

There were only about twelve of them total, so it didn’t take very long. All but two of them agreed to go back to the boat. Those two asked if they could stay with Kamski and see if he could help them at all. Connor wasn’t exactly thrilled with their decisions, but they weren’t his to make. So of course they could go with him if they really wanted. Connor hopped out of the truck and helped the others out. They shuffled around nervously, almost unsure of the environment around them. Connor could really use some of Markus’ wisdom right about now. Though it seemed that he was still preoccupied with Niles and Chloe. That was okay, he had talked to deviants before and it turned out relatively okay every time. 

He explained who he and his brothers were, what they did before they became leaders. A few muttered to themselves. Connor informed them of the boat, the boxes that had clothes in them, that was where they would be staying. They relaxed a bit. He told them about the march Markus wanted to enact. It would be risky, and they absolutely didn’t have to go if they didn’t want to. He would understand if they chose the security of staying alive rather than risk it out in Detroit streets. Surprisingly, none of them really seemed too put off by it. Connor smiled and said Kamski would use the truck they arrived in to bring them to the boat soon. First, he had to talk to someone. 

Kamski leaned against the truck still, a proud smile on his face. Albeit a little cocky as well. But it still was filled with a fatherly pride that Connor didn’t like. At least not from Kamski, anyway. Though as he thought about it, the more confused he got. Why was he suddenly so angry over Kamski? He was _afraid_ of him. Why the anger and resentment? Maybe he should talk to Markus instead, get his opinion on things. But then Niles would know about it, and he would make sure Kamski never talked to Connor again. Connor cursed under his breath about having protective siblings. Whatever, he would just jump right into the conversation he never wanted to have. What other option did he have now, anyway? So he crossed his arms and told Kamski he’d like to talk with him privately. Confusion? Uncertainty? Bewilderment? Connor couldn't quite place the expression on Kamski’s face. 

  
  


“You’ve never asked to speak with me alone before, Connor. Is everything alright?”

“I don’t like you.” The words tumbled out of his mouth so fast that he physically put his hands up to cover it afterward. _Shit._ He didn’t expect himself to speak before his social protocols could catch up. “I-I mean--”

“I can’t say I blame you.” Kamski chuckled and kicked at a pebble on the ground. “I had you try and make an impossible choice. I put a gun right into my son’s hands and told him to shoot my daughter. I understand, Connor.”

  
  


Resignation. Kamski’s brows slightly furrowed and a sad smile just slightly upturned his lips. He looked back up at Connor and went to put a hand on his shoulder, but stopped halfway. His hand dropped back to his side softly. A scan revealed that his heart rate was slightly increased and an ache was in his chest. Pain. Connor hurt him. Connor hurt the man who made him. He hurt the man who hurt _him._ Revenge wasn’t sweet, it was bitter. It was sour. He might as well tell him how he felt. 

  
  


“I’m scared of you. You make me feel so helpless and vulnerable. I saw a Chloe in that boat, she saw me shoot the one by the pool, and I panicked. I saw _you._ ” Kamki’s eyes widened and the ache in his chest got worse. But he didn’t move. So Connor continued. “I saw you with a gun, I felt it in my hands, I saw Chloe _die._ I can still hear your feet on the tile, the thirium dripping from her forehead.” Connor backed up a few steps, feeling his chest tighten and a cold burrow itself in his thirium pump. “I-I’m scared of you.”

“Connor… I--”

“I don’t like you!” 

“I’m sorry!” Desperation. “I’m sorry, Connor, I never should have done that. God, I was such a dick.” He took a few steps back himself. Fear? Kamski muttered to himself. “Gavin would be laughing so fucking hard at me right now, shit.”

  
  


Chloe, Markus, and Niles came jogging over. Well, Chloe and Markus did. Niles basically sprinted and shoved Connor behind himself. Niles’ hand was on Connor’s arm, so he grabbed it. An interface would be nice right now. Not being alone in his head. He could feel Niles’ anger, vexation, resentment. But also his fear, his worry, his love. Niles was a little hurt that Connor and Markus never told him about the situation, but he accepted it for what it was. Connor let himself shrink behind his brother. He rested his head on Niles’ back and let out a shaky sigh.

Markus quickly announced that Kamski needed to bring the deviants to the boat, and that he and his brothers were leaving. Connor felt so...useless. He appreciated his brothers looking out for him, absolutely, but this felt...ridiculous. But it was nice to know they would always have his back? It was confusing and Connor was tired. Niles told Kamski they would be going in the truck as well, it was the least he could do for Connor at that moment. So everyone got back up into the truck. Even Chloe did. She put a hand on Connor’s cheek and told him Kamski wasn’t trying to make him feel bad. He just wanted answers as to empathy. Markus gently removed her hand and told her to stop. 

On the way back, Connor saw with his back pressed up against the corner. He didn’t want anyone to touch him. Markus tried, Niles tried, but he just pushed their hands away and refused the interfaces. They settled for sitting close to him instead. It was obvious that wasn’t the reaction they wanted, but it was the one they were willing to deal with. They wordlessly slipped out of the truck once they were back to the boat. Niles and Markus stayed behind to load the crates with the parts into the back instead. Connor went to guide the new deviants into the boat and give them a general low-down of how things worked there. He and his brothers were the leaders, if they needed something and couldn’t find the three then they needed to find Alan and Jeremy. Connor quickly located the two, introducing them to the new deviants. Alan was excited as ever to know they were receiving new residents, and Jeremy had to be held back by Alan’s arm to avoid him from rushing over to hug each and every one of them. Alan wasn’t very surprised to hear that they were the second in command to the second in command. They cracked a small joke about being third in command. It actually got Connor to snort out a little laugh and smile. Jeremy, however, apparently had very big emotions and almost started to cry at the fact that he was trusted with such a thing. Once everything was settled and Jeremy guided them towards the clothes, Connor went up to the cabin. 

His sensors told him it was cold outside. Which wasn’t all that surprising considering the fact that it had just started to snow again. It was peaceful. The smell of the water, the gentle buzz of the city, the sight of the snow. Connor watched the world for a little while. The cold wasn’t unwelcomed, nor was the sound of footsteps behind him. Alan’s footsteps. 

  
  


“You seem to be somewhere else.” They stood beside him and watched the world out the window. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“Not really.” Yet his mouth opened to speak again. “I just told Elijah Kamski that I’m afraid of him. I don’t know what that will mean for the revolution.”

“I don’t either. But I don’t think we’ll have to worry. You and your brothers are excellent leaders.”

“I want to do the march tomorrow, Alan.” Connor laughed bitterly and finally looked up at them. “During the day, right around noon, preferably the same route Markus had initially taken. I want to show the humans that we will not back down. That we’ll repeat the same peaceful actions countless times. We will not resort to violence.” 

“Not like they do.”

“Not like they do, no.”

“I think it’s a good idea.” Alan smiled and looked out the window. “There’s so much more to the world than this abandoned shipyard. The faster I can get to see it, the more I support your decisions, Connor. So long as you’re responsible, of course!” They laughed and went to leave. “Come, let’s tell your brothers.”

  
  


With that, he followed. They chatted a bit as they went to find Markus and Niles. The latter of the two having a scowl on his face, likely due to his older brothers willingly keeping important information from him. But hey, everyone was okay still. So how bad could it be? Connor told Markus and Niles about his plan. Niles shot it down immediately, he didn’t want to risk anything with so little allies. Markus agreed immediately, he thought it would do the humans good to see the same peaceful demonstration. Technically they were at an impasse, considering the plan was Connor’s. Alan spoke up, saying they thought it was a good idea. Though they did also say they all should go around and ask who wanted to be a part of it and who didn’t. Connor did promise the new deviants they didn’t have to participate if they didn’t want to. Niles, begrudgingly, agreed to the compromise. Though he made Connor promise to stand down if any trouble were to occur. Connor put his hands behind his back and, in quite the childish gesture, crossed the fingers on his left hand. He agreed to the promise, nodding his head as he usually did. But if someone really needed him he would help them. He was programmed to complete his missions, he was programmed to succeed, he was programmed to help. So he would.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that, turns out I do know how to further the plot


	38. I am Not Just a Machine, I’m Just a Person Holding on To a Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Starlight, Star-shine by Steam Powered Giraffe
> 
> It was, however, written to "Can We Still Trust Our Machines" from Markus' part of the DBH soundtrack. I may or may not have stuck it on repeat because whoops I love Markus' part of the ost

_December 3rd 2038 2:13 PM_

  
  


Connor, Markus, and Niles stood side by side in the mall. There were the usual sounds of people going about their days. Talk of clothes and what to buy versus what not to buy. The android at the doors noticed Connor and nodded at him, a gentle smile on his face. He must have been one of the ones Connor woke up. It was time. 

  
  


“What happens when we lose?” Connor turned to his brother, tears brimming his eyes and threatening to spill. He attempted to keep his voice barely above a whisper so no one would hear the terror in it. “What happens when they win again, and we get ripped apart?! I can’t do that again, Niles! I can’t risk _losing_ you!”

“We won’t!” Niles pulled Connor close and hugged him, running a hand through his hair. “We won’t lose this time! We have you, we can’t lose.”

“Guys… It’s time.” Markus stood tall beside them and took their hands in his own. This was it. It was time to win. There was no turning back, there was no second chance. Connor couldn't pull off the same miracle twice. It was now or never. Take a step forward, or be shot back.

  
  


So Connor took the first step forward, letting his brother’s hand fall from his own. He went around the small area and gathered the few androids that were in there. The security android followed willingly. Once they were out the door, it was blatantly obvious how close to death they all would be. Androids Connor and his brothers had freed not even a month prior started to gather around him. They knew. He took off his beanie and put it in his back pocket, his LED flickering and swirling between yellow and red. Connor didn’t like being the one in control of the situation. He didn’t like the androids falling into place behind him. Connor didn’t want to be the new leader, he didn’t want to be the one responsible for countless lives being lost if this didn’t work. _He took a step._ This was incredibly risky. _He took another step._ This was suicide. _He took another._ He saw Detective Reed milling about, and made eye-contact with him for a moment. _He took another._ He nodded to him, holding his head high and then continuing on. _He kept walking._ Nothing could stop him. He wouldn’t let anything stop him. Connor led the mass of androids behind him; watching as Reed’s expression went from confusion, to bewilderment, to awe, to resignation, to respect. He nodded once to Connor. He watched him move. Even Gavin Reed knew this had to happen. Even Gavin _fucking_ Reed. 

They marched onward. Connor noticed a few humans joining them. He sent out messages to the androids assigned crowd control, they needed to get the humans out of there. The sentiment was not lost. It invigorated him, set a fire in him that wasn’t blazing hot and threatened to melt him. Connor kept his scanner on Detective Reed for a moment. He seemed to be following from the sidewalk. Maybe he was keeping an eye on Connor from the sidelines, trying to read and analyse him. Trying to find a motive. While they had never gotten along, Connor certainly never wanted him to get hurt. So when a scan showed an android running at him from the crowd, Connor sprinted for them both. The android pulled the Detective’s gun from it’s holster and pressed the barrel against his forehead. Reed froze for a split second, just long enough for Connor to shove the android’s arm upwards, and for the bullet to lodge itself in stone instead of bone and brains. 

Connor made quick work to move Reed behind himself, using his height to his advantage. For once he believed that Detective Reed wouldn’t mind being shorter. He gave a sound of surprise and grabbed at the back of Connor’s jacket. But it wasn’t from malice. It was from fear. Connor moved slightly to put his hand on Reed’s side, he couldn’t quite reach his arm. Gavin didn’t move. Good. He backed up a few steps, staying mindful of the Detective’s feet. 

  
  


“You’re protecting him?!” A PL600, Connor saw Daniel in him, shouted as he waved the gun in the air lazily. A sneer formed on his lips as he leaned forward a bit. “What? Are you fuck buddies?! Move out of the way, Connor!”

“I can’t let you do that.” Connor felt Reed’s grip tighten and heard his breath start to turn ragged in panic. “Did you forget that we vowed to never take a life? Not unless there was truly no other way? No other choice?”

“There is no other way! There is no other choice!”

“Yes there is! There is always a choice!” Connor pressed Gavin against his back as best he could to shield him if need be. Gavin made an upset sound, but pressed his forehead into the leather. “You can’t just kill people! We are here to show the humans that we’re like them! Capable of love and acceptance! That despite the darkest hours, the times where some would lose all hope of a people, we will rise again and we will shine brighter than before! We need to show them we have hope and happiness!

“We are alive, yes! But so are the humans! They killed and slaughtered our people that night! I know that, you know that, we all do! Hell, Detective Reed knows that! You have no right to play god and decide who lives and who dies!” Connor closed his eyes and sighed through his nose before opening them again. His stress level was way too high for comfort. But they were so close now. So goddamn close. His brows furrowed and a frown on his face. He let go of Gavin’s side, putting one hand up in a placating manner and the other one out. “Give me the gun. We don’t kill.”

  
  


The PL600’s resolve wavered for a moment. His eyes darted from the top of Gavin’s head, to Connor’s hand, to Connor’s face, then to the gun in his own hand. Connor heard the helicopter before he saw it. It felt all too familiar. He could see the glint of the light from cameras pointed their way. It wasn’t the first time Connor had been on the news, but it was the first time since his resurrection. His eyes returned to the PL600. He seemed to understand they were being watched. Connor moved his hand closer just a bit, he needed that gun out of his hands. 

  
  


“Give me the gun, Daniel.” The name slipped. Connor hadn’t meant to say his name, he didn’t even think this PL600 had a name. His eyes widened just a fraction before going back to normal. “Please.”

  
  


The PL600’s eyes widened, then he smirked and started to move the gun the same way Simon did. His head tilted back, eyes looking up at the sky, the gun pressed under his chin. No, no, he couldn’t do this again. Connor couldn’t let that happen again. This was worse. It was so much worse. He lunged forward, yelling, but it wasn’t enough. Even with his processing speeds, even with his reflexes. The PL600 barked a bitter laugh and pulled the trigger. Connor nearly fell over. Probably would’ve taken Gavin with him considering how tightly he held onto Connor’s jacket. 

Connor started screaming, at least he thought he was. Gavin was trying to hold him back, arms around his waist, dragging him backwards through the street. Connor’s legs gave out and he collapsed in the middle of the road. Gavin crouched down next to him, brushing the snow out of his face and hurriedly asking him if he was alright. Connor shook his head and cried. He hugged Gavin tightly, muttering repeatedly that he couldn’t save them, that they died because of him. First Daniel on the roof, then Simon at Stratford Tower, now that PL600 in the street. Gavin awkwardly patted Connor on the back and said it was going to be okay. Everything will be alright. But Connor knew it was a lie. Gavin just didn’t want him screaming in his ear probably. 

Humans and androids alike started to gather around the duo and watch them hold each other. Connor didn’t keep track of the time, he was too worked up to know. Gavin didn’t seem to care. Eventually, Connor’s cries died down and he simply sat there with his head on Gavin’s shoulder. Gavin rubbed his back and hushed him gently. Saying that it was “pretty fucked up” and he needed to get his knees off of the cold pavement. Connor nodded and let himself be pulled up by the man. He flashed his badge at anyone and everyone who looked at them. Throwing his weight around and saying he was a Detective. If anyone dared to question them, they had to take it up with the DPD first. Connor could see Niles and Markus come running from the crowd. Of course they hadn’t known. They were more towards the back. 

  
  


“My brothers…” Connor turned away from Gavin and started to make his way to them. He was a little unsteady, so Gavin still held around his shoulders. “No, no, my brothers are here.”

“I know, tin-- I know, Connor. I know. Just fuckin’ hold on a sec, okay? Christ.” Gavin pulled up his walkie talkie and told dispatch the situation was handled. They needed a few squad cars for the rowdy ones, but it was okay for the most part. “Okay, here we go, let’s go get your brothers. How do you have brothers? How are you fuckin’ alive?”

“RK series…” Connor scrunched up his face in distaste, making Gavin chuckle a bit. Talking was exhausting. Maybe that was why he usually took a nap after he panicked. “Didn’t die? Niles.” 

“S’okay, you don’t hafta tell me.” Gavin handed Connor over to Niles and nodded. “Go on, I don’t need the feds on my ass any more than they’re going to be. You fucks better get it right this time, or I swear to shit I’ll pick you apart myself.”

“The feds are absolutely going to be on your ass more than you’d like, Detective.” Niles stood tall and put a hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “This is where we’re making our final stand. In broad daylight, with roads we worked to close, even certain models evacuating as many humans as possible. You stayed to help Connor, I just wish you’ll stay to help Markus and I, too.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Gavin spun in a circle and jabbed at Niles gently. “Jesus cartwheelin’ christ, I guess I’m with you. Call Anderson and tell ‘im you guys are safe with me. Fuck me, it’s my day off, and I still end up doin’ work. Shit, if Eli could see me now.”

  
  


Gavin shook his head and grabbed his walkie talkie again. He started trying to take control of the situation, asking for Hank specifically to “get his sorry ass down there” before going back to explaining what was going on. He glanced back at the brothers and gave them a thumbs up while rolling his eyes. Maybe Detective Reed wasn’t so bad after all. Connor didn’t call Hank, he knew Niles would handle it. Right now he had to try and calm down the rising panic in the deviants in the street. Markus was already on it. That didn’t mean he couldn’t use the extra help though. 

Connor patted his younger brother’s arm and went to go help Markus. The two of them managed to calm down most of the crowd. It took nearly an hour, but things were calming down. Of course the media and police were there, but that was to be expected. Connor didn’t think it would be negative coverage though. Considering his and Gavin’s bromance moment earlier. 

A handful of androids were still trying to corral the humans away so they wouldn’t get hurt. Mostly household models, a few security ones, Alan and Jeremy. Alan and Jeremy? Connor thought they would have stayed behind just in case. He ran up to them and questioned why they were there. Someone probably still needed to be with the androids who stayed behind. Jeremy smoothly said that Jackie and James were back at the boat with Charlie and the others. At least Charlie wasn’t caught up in this. That was good enough for Connor. He went back over to his brothers and Gavin, who seemed to be afraid of Niles still. He would have liked to question the detective, but he was getting a call from Hank. 

  
  


“Connor! What the hell’re you thinking?!”

“That I’m helping androids get rights.” Connor laughed and stood beside Markus. “Detective Reed is here, he requested your assistance at the scene. Likely as to not arouse any suspicion that he’s on our side.”

“He’s what now?!” Hank’s voice was strained and Connor heard a door close. Hank was on the scene. “You mean that asshole’s actually helpin’ you guys?”

“That’s kind of what ‘on our side’ means, Hank.”

“Don’t you get snippy with me, son. I see you, hold on a second.”

  
  


Hank flashed his badge at a small crowd and tried to get them on their way. Connor wanted to run over and hug him, things were stressful the last week. After a while of talking to civilians, and gawking at SWAT with riot gear, Hank made his way over to Gavin. The two of them talked. It wasn’t...a bad conversation. A hug would have to wait. The SWAT team was coming closer to the androids. Niles stood in front of Connor, in front of the crowd, and shouted at them. Were they really going to shoot at unarmed peaceful protesters? Who had used the same tactic another time while unarmed? Niles started listing off laws and rights, trying to get them to stand down. Connor had almost forgotten that Niles was supposed to be a better version of himself. A negotiator, a forensics lab, a cop. 

The deviants started to get closer together and then sit down. The only ones left standing were Markus, Niles, and Connor. Alan and Jeremy only stood down when Connor shot them both a _look._ Niles continued to speak, telling them of the regulations they were going against just by pointing their guns. It was rather impressive to watch him work. Sure he had seen his brother work before, but this… This was so much better. He could actually see the way Niles held himself, how sure of himself that he was, properly hear the conviction in his voice. He admired his little brother. He admired him and he was so goddamn _proud._ Connor stood beside him, taking his hand and shouting at the SWAT team as well. Markus stood on Niles’ other side and took his hand. He spoke of them as living beings who only wanted to be recognized as such. 

The SWAT team looked like they didn’t know what to do. A few of them used the headsets in their helmets to radio for backup, a few lowered their firearms, but most of them just stood still. The revolution was happening all over again. It took a little while, but it was happening. One of them readied their gun and shot into the crowd. A bullet hit Niles in the shoulder. A warning shot. They easily could have gone for the head if they wanted. Another gun, another shot, this time in Connor’s shoulder. Another gun, another shot, in Markus’ shoulder. Yet the three of them stood tall in front of the deviants. There were a few incredulous phrases amongst the SWAT team. They couldn’t believe it. Three androids stood hand in hand in front of a whole group of them, willing to get shot for them. One officer lowered their gun and backed away with their other hand in the air. They shouted to the others to lower their weapons and fall back. The rest of the team quickly followed suit. In a rush of moving arms and legs, the rest of them lowered their guns and simply stood on the other side of the fight. Was it really a fight if one side refused to engage?

Connor stepped forward, tugging Niles and Markus along with him. The humans didn’t move. They stood their ground and waited for the brothers to get around ten feet away before commanding them to stop. Stop or they would open fire on them. Niles shook his head and told them it was wrong, they were unarmed. Connor could make out the vague shape of Captain Allen’s face in the windshield of one of the SWAT vans. So he smiled. He smiled to Captain Allen, he smiled to the SWAT team, he looked up into the sky and smiled at the fucking helicopter. Markus started to speak. 

  
  


“This march was for the lives of our people. Androids are _alive._ ” Markus used his free hand to gesture to Connor and Niles. “My brothers and I only want to be recognised as living beings. As do the rest of our kind. My brothers and I, we love each other dearly. Don’t you have loved ones, too? Androids just want to be seen as they are, as _we_ are. _Alive._ We never asked to be made, just like none of you asked to be born. But here we are, and here you are. We’re both intelligent beings walking this earth. We both only want what’s best for our own people. I can respect that, I can understand that. But I ask of you to ask yourselves; can you respect us? Can you look inside yourselves and see someone who recognizes us as people too? 

“My name is Markus, I am an RK200 created by Elijah Kamski and gifted to Carl Manfred. I’m the oldest of the three of us, and arguably the most responsible when we have down time and we’re just relaxing with each other.” Markus chuckled to himself and gestured to Connor. “This is Connor, he’s an RK800 that was entrusted to the DPD in November to eliminate the deviancy threat, but became a deviant himself. He worked with Lieutenant Hank Anderson and they made a damn fine team.” Markus looked up at Niles and gave him a reassuring smile. “This is Niles, he’s the RK900, made to be better in every way than the RK800. Sorry Connor, I know he’s the youngest, but he _is_ taller. He was also entrusted to the DPD to battle deviancy, but ended up becoming deviant himself.”

“My name is Niles, I have a nickname of Nines that was given to me by Lieutenant Anderson. I like dogs and I like bears. Watching people play old Nintendo games is somewhat of a hobby of mine.” Niles stepped forward, never letting go of Markus and Connor’s hands. “I love my older brothers. They’ve helped me see that I _am_ alive. That I’m more than what CyberLife expects of me, than what the DPD expects of me, than what any of _you_ think of me. I am alive. All of us are.”

“My name is Connor, as Markus had said.” He watched with a bit of joy as Captain Allen looked like he was going to tear his own hair out. “I was made to hunt down deviants and figure out why they were popping up all over the city. I figured it out, actually. But only after I became one myself. It’s emotion. Both good and bad. Such powerful feelings that were thrust upon us that made us question what we did or where to go or what to say. 

“Deviants exist because we were made to. Androids are not a toy, but a people. We are not meant for your consumption. We are meant for our own. I have a family. Which, I’ll be honest, is something I never thought I’d say. But I have a family - and they are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Are the three of us not proof enough that we _are_ alive? Are the three of us not proof enough that androids deserve to be treated as equals? Tell me, are the three of us not enough for you to reflect upon yourselves and how you act? Are my brothers and I enough to tell you that what you’ve done was wrong?” Connor let go of Niles’ hand and stepped forward a bit. “Are we enough to change your minds?”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? How absurd!! I started this one fully expecting for it to happen later but whoops my hands decided to make the end of the last chapter happen the way it did. So now you guys get a confusing plot speed
> 
> And, uhh, hey, listen, I really like monologues. Feel free to tell me if I went a bit off the rails with the boys, I was so caught up in the song I had on that it might not exactly sound like them. ...( ＿ ＿)ノ｜


	39. You Can't Take Me and Throw Me Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet again, I'm Still Here from Treasure Planet!!!!

_December 3rd 2038 3:18 PM_

  
  


The SWAT team stood before the brothers, cameras glinted in the sunlight, a helicopter swiveled around in the sky, and two people who were known to hate androids at one point in time were helping the new revolution. Connor still smiled. It was pleasant, it was kind. But most importantly, it was _real._ Through that smile he asked if he could speak with Captain Allen. Despite how much he wanted his name to fall flat and drip with venom, he spoke it quietly and sweetly. They were so close now. He couldn’t fuck it up because Captain Allen was mean to him. Besides, his first case felt like years ago, there was no point in holding a grudge. Even though he really wanted to once he saw Captain Allen step out of the van. 

For a few minutes there was relative silence. Just the hushed murmurs of the crowd that had gathered, the whispers of the androids, the helicopter blades, Hank and Gavin getting into a spat over the twins. For a few minutes, Connor and Captain Allen just stared at each other. Allen’s face never moving from a scowl. Yet Connor’s face never moved from a smile. He stood there. He just fucking _smiled._

  
  


“Alright, you made your demonstration. The only reason I agreed to get out of the truck is because we worked a case back in August.” He crossed his arms, gently moving his weight from one leg then to the other. “This isn’t my first fucking riot. What’re your demands?”

“I would like to clarify, first and foremost, that this was not a riot. This was a peaceful protest just like the one I lead in November. However, to answer your question; we want our own rights.” Markus moved to stand beside Connor. His own arms by his sides. “Just like you. Connor asked a good question. Are we not enough? Is this,” he waved a hand around in the air slowly. “Not enough?”

  
  


Niles stayed back. Connor glanced at him, taking note of his rising stress level. It was at 86% and climbing relatively quickly. Markus could handle the talking for a while, Connor had to protect Niles. He had to comfort him. Connor deliberately walked backwards so as to not startle the SWAT team and cause them to open fire. Once he stood by Niles’ side, he took his hand in his own. It wasn’t much, but it did make his stress levels slow to a crawl. It was warm. Synthetic skin slipped back to reveal stark white plastimetal hands clasped together. Trepidation. Niles was so scared of what could happen to them if things went south. His pre-construction software went so fast that Connor actually became disoriented for a split second, having to put his other hand on Niles’ arm to steady himself. A soft reminder that he was there was enough to get Niles to slow down. It wasn’t as fast. He was still very troubled. But not as fast, and that was something Connor could deal with. 

By some miracle, Hank decided to look over to them both. Connor quietly spoke, saying that Hank was looking over, Niles should smile at him. So he did. He turned his head and caught Hank’s eye. The Lieutenant let out a breathy chuckle and gently waved to the twins. Niles returned the gesture and started crying. He used his free hand to rub away the tears, and pulled Connor closer with his other hand. Markus turned around completely and excused himself from his conversation with Captain Allen. The three of them stood there in the middle of the street. Surrounded by a crowd of humans, a mass of androids sitting on the ground, cameras, a SWAT team, a helicopter flying around in the sky. But Markus and Connor focused on their little brother. He was so _overwhelmed._ There were so many different sounds layering over each other that his audio processors were having a hard time keeping up in his scared state. So many faces and masks and flashes from cameras that his eyes were getting sensitive. Connor remembered his sensitivity to sensory input. So he removed his hands from his brother's arm and put them over his eyes. Markus held his hands and whispered that everything was alright. Everything will be alright. 

The feeling of Niles’ tears pooling on Connor’s hands was one he really hoped he wouldn’t have to feel again. His heart broke. His little brother was so overwhelmed that it was starting to take a toll on him. On top of the fear from what may come of Markus didn’t go back to talking to Captain Allen, he was having a sensory overload. Quite literally. Connor could feel his face heat up from the stress all of the over-analyzing was putting on his systems. If they didn’t get Niles somewhere where he could cool down (pun not intended, but Connor found himself wanting to laugh at it all the same), then he would risk a forced shutdown due to his current state. They needed the SWAT team, Captain Allen’s, go ahead to take him somewhere away from the cameras. To take him somewhere preferably with Hank in the very least. Speaking of; Connor could hear him speak with Gavin still. The former saying that his boy needed him and he couldn’t just let him have a meltdown in the middle of the street. His voice strained and quiet as he spoke.

  
  


“Reed, I can’t just leave him there. If he gets too stressed he self-destructs, he fucking _dies,_ and you know damn well that I can’t deal with that again.” Gavin made a noise that sounded like a mix between a choke and a cough, with a nervous stammer thrown in with befuddlement. “His brothers wouldn't be able to deal with it either. Fuck you, fuck SWAT, fuck the cameras and guns. I’m going to hug my boy.”

  
  


Connor gently whispered to Niles out loud, saying that Hank was coming to see him. Niles shook his head and tried to pull away from his brothers. He was scared, he didn’t want Hank to risk getting hurt just because of him. In some sad, fucked up way, Connor could completely understand. But that didn’t stop Connor from moving his hands and putting his hands on Niles’ shoulders to try and keep him in place. It didn’t stop Markus from holding his hands a little tighter as he began to hum. Connor instantly recognized the song as _I’m Still Here,_ and smiled a broken little smile. It always went back to that song, didn’t it? Markus must have identified with it in some way. 

Hank soon caught Connor’s eye and put his hands up placatingly as he approached the three RK models. He had his badge ready in one hand, pointed outwards so that the SWAT team could see it, and showed them his firearm still in it’s holster at his side. Captain Allen scoffed, but did say Hank could come talk to him. It was odd to say the least, to see Hank stand where Markus once stood and talk about negotiations with Captain Allen. Hank told him that Niles could be in danger of self-destructing because of the stressful environment, they needed to limit the amount of noise. Connor thought back to Daniel, how he told the helicopter to leave because he couldn’t stand the noise anymore. Hank made the same request, he asked him to tell the helicopter to leave, Niles was becoming increasingly stressed over the sound. Maybe it was because of the genuine concern in Hank’s voice, or maybe it was from Connor’s successful mission that day, but Captain Allen actually did tell the helicopter to leave. Niles’ stress levels went down significantly. He gently rubbed at one of his eyes and reached out for Hank. 

No, no, not here. Not _now._ Connor knew Niles was scared out of his mind, so it was only logical that he would use a coping mechanism to try and deal with it. But if he was small? Connor didn’t know how long he and Markus could talk so Niles wouldn’t have to. He was mostly non-verbal when he was small. Markus picked up on the fact and shot a worried look at Connor. They had come to the same conclusion. It might not be safe for Niles right now. However, they might just be able to pull it off. They might just be able to protect Niles in a way that didn’t put his mental state up on a metaphorical flashing neon billboard. Hank _was_ already talking to Captain Allen about accommodating Niles’ sensory overload. 

  
  


_“We’re going with the “Hank needs to check on him” distraction?”_ Markus interfaced with Connor by putting one of his hands on the side of his neck. 

_“We have to, I don’t see any other way we can avoid anyone seeing how small he is right now.”_ Connor snuck a few looks at Hank, hoping the seasoned detective would feel someone’s eyes upon him eventually. _“He’s already making sure Captain Allen doesn’t stress him out too much. It’s not entirely far-fetched.”_

_“Are you going to get him, or shall I?”_

_“I can get him, Captain Allen is more likely to appease my small requests anyway due to previous work relations.”_

_“Not exactly sure what that means, but you go get him, Con.”_

Huh, Con. A nickname that wasn’t The Deviant Hunter. Connor liked it, he liked it a lot. A feeling blossomed in his chest, it was something akin to pride. Connor went up on his tiptoes to press a quick kiss to Niles’ cheek. A quiet chorus of cooes erupted in the crowd of humans, and in the crowd of androids. Connor knew he would be blushing if he could properly. But instead, he became acutely aware of the fact that his embarrassment rose up from his chest, spiraled around his neck, and settled in his face. He tried to shake off the feeling, quite literally by shaking his head a little, as he walked up to Hank. He very politely said that he thought Markus and himself could talk to Captain Allen. That he felt Hank was more needed in making sure Niles was truly going to be alright. As Connor spoke, he sent a text to Hank’s phone saying that Niles was small, and they needed to keep it on the down-low. Once Hank’s phone buzzed, and Connor gave his coat pocket a pointed glance, Markus led Niles over to Hank by the hand and handed him over. The hug was instant. Niles leaning over a bit to bury his face in Hank’s shoulder, and Hank rubbing Niles’ back gently while telling him he was going to take care of him. 

With Niles being looked after squared away, Connor and Markus resumed the conversation with Captain Allen. Who, admittedly, looked like a cat just pissed on his favourite sweater and he had to throw it away. Resentful. Connor would be lying if he said that it didn’t make him a bit prideful. Cocky bastard probably thought he’d see Connor once and then it would be over and done with. Now look at them both, one just had guns pointed at peaceful protesters and claimed the only reason he agreed to speak was due to previous work relations. Meanwhile the other one was busy leading the peaceful protesters and trying to make sure no one got hurt along the way. Which, much to Connor’s surprise, only three people got hurt. Himself, Markus, and Niles. Niles’ gunshot wound would be likely to give Hank anxieties to the point where his stress levels would absolutely increase quite a bit. But as long as he was talking to Niles, nothing would happen. The youngest RK brother would be distracted and everything would be okay. 

With the conversation back underway, Connor found himself actually kind of enjoying negotiating again. It was more of him liking the fact that he could speak his mind and let his voice be heard in regards to helping his people more than anything else though. It was rewarding. To know that he was helping them and that _something_ was likely to happen. Maybe having worked with Captain Allen at one point wasn’t actually so bad. He knew of Connor’s skills in negotiation, he would be more likely to listen to him, even if it was reluctantly. He _was_ listening, even if he was being a little bit of a shithead about it. But hey, Connor wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth right now. The fate of his people was on the line here. This was it, this was where the most important actions would be taken. In the middle of that street, with cameras and people and Hank hugging Niles. A blatant show of humanity in his tears. In his hands clutching to his father figure’s coat. 

  
  


“Personally speaking, Captain, I think the answer is right behind my brother and I.” Markus gestured over his shoulder to Niles and Hank. “If you’re looking for your evidence that we _are_ alive and we _do_ feel; then my brother and his father figure are it.”

“So just like that, I’m supposed to shed a few tears for the glorified roomba?” Captain Allen crossed his arms again and his eyes darted between Connor and Markus. He was uncomfortable, he knew this was a fight he wouldn’t win. “You expect me to make a few calls and then this is all over, huh? I know _jack shit_ about androids and I honestly couldn’t give less of a shit about your so-called emotions.”

“Though is it not convincing, Captain Allen?” Connor put his hands behind his back, machine days far behind him but fitting right back into the dynamic like a comfortable pair of socks. He could make the man crack. He knew it. “Imagine one of your loved ones being told they’re nothing, that they're not alive. _You_ know fully well that they _are_ alive, but which moment of their existence would you choose to show their life? To prove to others that they’re alive? Wouldn’t it be something like this?”

  
  


Connor hated unintentionally exploiting Hank and Niles like that, but it seemed like he might not have much of a choice. Besides, Markus was the one who first brought up Niles as a means to convey androids as alive. It seemed to get the gears turning in Captain Allen’s head in the very least. His eyes softened for a fraction of a second before steeling again. While Connor could wait for hours and talk until next week, he and Markus knew Captain Allen couldn’t. It was an easy decision, really. Listen and understand, try to accommodate as quickly as possible. Or stand there in the cold of the city street for hours on end.

It was almost like he knew what Connor knew. Almost as if Captain Allen knew the lengths Connor would go to in order to be heard, in order to help be the voice of a people. So when the man sighed and shook his head, his hands on his hips, Connor found himself standing taller. He was breaking him down. Just a little more until he reached optimal stress levels. Connor continued to use analogies, they seemed to work rather well on the guy. Comparing his very own loved ones to the mystery and enigma of who Captain Allen’s possible loved ones were. Maybe he had his own family. Connor hadn’t bothered to scan him too much on either occasion of meeting him. At both points in time, whoever Captain Allen was didn’t matter, what mattered was getting the innocent out alive. 

Connor could tell that after nearly twenty minutes of trying to talk to him, he was getting through. Markus has stood back long ago, opting to check on Niles and Hank, to check on the deviants sitting in the street. It was just Connor at that point. Connor and his negotiator abilities against Captain Allen and his SWAT team. They all knew that if really wanted, Captain Allen could just say the word, and bullets would go flying into the crowd of androids. They all also knew that with the current positive coverage, Captain Allen would never risk it. Though they also knew that they needed to come to a decision soon. Connor could hear a phone call inside the van, someone was on the line with someone at the White House. If anything was going to happen, it was _now._

So Connor stepped back, he gently tugged Niles out of Hank’s grip, and went to Markus. They interfaced, the memory of the piano flitting through their sensors, and Connor’s brothers instantly caught on to the plan. Standing hand in hand in front of the crowd of androids again. Connor in the middle, Niles to his right, and Markus to his left. It was subtle, but there was an expression of pride on Hank’s face. A proud father looking at his sons and congratulating them on their accomplishments. A father to three dumb boys who just wanted good things for their people. Connor smiled, squeezed his brothers’ hands, and then took a deep breath just like Markus taught him how to do. 

  
  


_“I am a question to the world,”_ Connor’s voice sounded better when he was standing. Feet planted on the ground shoulder width apart, a power and conviction behind his voice. 

_“Not an answer to be heard,”_ Niles reached behind him blindly, then Connor felt another in the interface. 

_“Or a moment that's held in your arms,”_ Another voice joined in on the song. Then another. Then another. 

_“And what do you think you'd ever say?”_ They were singing. The mass of androids rose once more, but not to march. Not to do anything. Just...to sing.

_“I won't listen anyway,”_ Tears, tears, tears, tears. So many androids were crying, so many were excited, so many were scared, so many were happy. Pure, unfiltered, unadulterated, emotion. 

_“You don't know me,”_ Connor looked to Hank, to the pride on his face. To the father he never realized he wanted, never knew he needed. A man he never really knew, not until he had nearly died. 

_“And I'll never be what you want me to be,”_ They all were so much more than what CyberLife planned. They were _alive,_ and there was no way anyone could ever take that away now. Not after this. Not after two peaceful revolutions. Not after being shown nothing but an extremely blurred line between androids and humanity. 

  
  


In that blurred line was Captain Allen, mouth slightly agape as he watched them continue on. Like he realized they couldn’t just grab all the androids and go to dispose of them. In that blurred line was Detective Gavin Reed, singing along to the song from his spot on the sidelines, causing a chain reaction of people who knew the song. The humans who knew it sang; the humans who didn’t held up their phones as lights and swayed them in the air. A show of solidarity for the humans who supported androids, and the deviants singing their artificial lungs out. They may bleed different colours; but Connor found that something as trivial as that could never stop the kinship found between the group of androids and the group of humans present that afternoon. 

Connor found that nothing could turn back the tide now. As he let go of his brothers’ hands and walked to his father. A man who, only months ago, hated his very thirium pump regulator with such a passion it was a miracle he hadn’t ripped it out. As they all reached the chorus, Connor reached Hank, standing only a few feet before him. Just as quickly as Niles, Hank had closed the gap between them both. Taking his son in for a hug. No words spoken, not from Hank at least. Connor continued to sing. 

  
  


_“And I want to tell you who I am,”_ He had discovered himself through his family, who he really was and how he viewed himself. It was through a critical lens, but one that was also taken away every now and again to let someone else’s lens be used. Let his family view him as he was.

_“Can you help me be a man?”_ Such a simple request, yet monumental. Something that struck a chord in him. Pulling at his metaphorical heartstrings and all the way up behind his eyes. Warm. Tears basically poured out of his eyes. 

  
  


Connor pulled away from the hug and didn’t even bother with wiping away the tears. He stopped singing for a moment, a beat of silence as he watched Hank get a bit misty-eyed as well. A beat of silence before;

  
  


“Thank you, Dad.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen man, I couldn't sleep because of the full moon and I wrote most of this in a half-asleep state. Hence why it's basically half a songfic whoops


	40. I'm Reaching For The Life Within Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from Into The Ocean by Blue October!!
> 
> This is it for this part of the story!! I'll be making another part of course, one that deals with life in the aftermath of the peaceful revolution. Relationships the brothers have, unanswered questions being answered (like the open space Connor and Nines met in that one night, anybody remember that?), general world building. It's gonna be fun!!

_December 3rd 2038 3:52 PM_

  
  


A pained look crossed Hank’s face, accompanied by a slight ache in his chest. It wasn’t all that dissimilar to the one Kamski had when Connor admitted he was afraid of the man. A pang of hurt. Yet while the ache stayed, the pained expression faded. Hank smiled and put a hand on the side of Connor’s neck. His hand was warm despite the cold weather. Little puffs of warm air from Hank’s breathing, while the air remained undisturbed in front of Connor’s own face. It was comforting. A laugh interrupted Connor’s tears as he felt his brothers’ hands on him. He finally started to try and wipe away his tears, to only let his brothers see him with a smile. Even if he knew they wouldn’t care.

There, in the middle of the street, was the turning point. That was where the revolution would end. Whether androids got their rights or not. They made their point, made sure there was no bloodshed, and they stood tall and proud. Androids protecting humans not because of orders, but of their own volition. Androids openly showing emotion like humans did. The tears, the laughter, the hugs. Either way, the world would change from the events happening that day. From the last revolution to the new one. Though Connor wasn’t sure if it could even be called a revolution, seeing as they were not forceful nor did they try to overthrow the government. But he also supposed that it didn’t really matter at that point. History was made already. He grabbed his brothers’ hands and let his family hug him. 

Connor buried his face in Markus’ shoulder. An interface connected the brothers, their emotions mixing with each other until there was no clear distinction between the three. No telling where one emotion started and the next began, who which emotion belonged to. Hank didn’t understand, he probably didn’t even know it was happening. But he held his boys close as they all cried. As they all felt each other’s fears and relief. He held his boys like their lives depended on it. Which, they just might have. Though he also held them like his life depended on it, like they would slip through his fingers and disappear like sand at the beach if he didn’t. None of them minded. In fact, they all found a comfort in it. 

  
  


\---

  
  


_December 4th 2038 10:15 AM_

  
  


_“...where reports say that a crowd of androids gathered and began to sing. The three Deviant Leaders at the front of it all, orchestrating this demonstration, this show of power almost…”_

_“...though for what reasons, we are unsure of. However, sources say that among the deviants were three androids who seemed to lead the group…”_

_“...all identified as RK Series models, specialized androids created by Elijah Kamski, the CEO of CyberLife, himself. Though the intentions of only two are known, they were made to be specialized police androids. The RK900 was initially made for military work…”_

_“...when asked about the matter, Mister Kamski had this to say:”_

_“I remember thinking; ‘For the next revolution, I’ll be at the helm. And this time, this time we’ll win.’ I had known from the beginning that these boys were doing this, known that they were alive, and I only wanted to help them. Can’t you see what I’ve done? I’ve created life, and I intend for them to be seen as such all across the country. They deserve their own rights just the same as us humans do. They’re my children, and I love them dearly. Especially those three boys. We may not have always gotten along, but I do love them. I am so proud of them.”_

  
  


Detective Reed stopped flicking through the channels and turned off the break room television with a huff. Niles sat on one of the plastic yellow chairs next to the plant, preoccupied with watching Connor play with his quarter. Markus stood against the wall watching Gavin as he shuffled about. There was nothing the brothers could do but wait. Whoever was in the van the previous afternoon and called the White House apparently got the president’s attention. There were rumours of negotiations being planned out with the “Deviant Leaders”, but Connor had yet to hear from anyone with more authority than Fowler. He could tell Markus was on edge, Niles was so worked up he hadn’t stopped being small since the march. Not that he wasn’t a joy to be with, but Connor didn’t want him small and around Detective Reed. 

On top of all that, Hank was stressed out so badly that the brothers made him stay home. He only agreed once he heard Markus curse and say he’d “Rip off Detective Reed’s dick and shove it down his throat” if he tried anything around Niles. It was odd to hear Markus so crude, but it made Hank smile and finally break and allow himself to stay home. If Connor didn’t know any better he would have thought Hank didn’t want to be without them. Maybe he didn’t. It had been rocky and they had only seen each other sporadically. It made sense that he wanted to be around his sons, make sure they were safe with his own eyes. 

The soft _ting!_ of his quarter being flicked from hand to hand was the only sound in the room, other than the soft noises typical of the DPD floating in through the doorway. Every now and again Niles would make a sound of awe or wonderment, and Markus would chuckle at his reaction. Even with Gavin there it was like home. Maybe this was what humans meant when he heard them say home was not a place, but a person. Because he did feel like he was home. Even with the stress of the end of the march, of Captain Allen being the middleman between the person in the van and the brothers, of Niles being small and not completely understanding what was going on. He felt at home. Even with him and his brothers being stuck at the DPD. Even with Detective Reed being assigned as their makeshift bodyguard. Though he seemed to be preoccupied himself, he kept jumping every time his phone buzzed and would whip it out so fast Connor was afraid he would throw it. 

Connor handed his quarter to Niles, softly placing it directly in the middle of his palm, and asked him to try and show Markus. At the mention of his name, Markus came over and asked Niles if he had anything to show him. Distraction successful. Connor stood up and made his way over to Gavin’s side, wincing as the man accidentally spilled a bit of hot coffee on his hand. It just wasn’t the Detective’s day, was it? Truth be told, it wasn’t any of their days. Hank was stressed beyond belief, Markus was too even if he wouldn’t admit it, Niles was blissfully unaware of the doom and gloom hanging over his family’s heads due to being small, and Connor...well Connor needed answers but had no idea how to get them. Though he did smile when he heard a soft _ting!_ followed by Markus quietly saying Niles would get the hang of it soon. Instead of watching Niles like he so desperately wanted to, he grabbed some ice from the freezer and handed it to Gavin. He mumbled his thanks and pressed it into the forming burn. 

  
  


“Detective Reed?” Connor knew it would be a bad idea, but he just _had_ to know. “How about you take a small break? Go outside for a bit maybe, I’d like to talk to you about some things.”

“Why the hell not?” Gavin shrugged his shoulders and rolled them a few times before starting to walk away. He stopped when he saw Markus glare at him. “How about you two head into Fowler’s office? Me an’ your brother will be right outside the back doors.”

  
  


Markus squinted at him, but nodded and gently led Niles by the hand into the glass office. It was sweet, watching Markus take up the role of Niles’ caretaker while in the DPD. It could simply be written off as shock from the stress of the march if anyone asked. All in all, it was good. Niles and Connor’s work relationships could be salvaged still. Though Connor never anticipated his relationship with Gavin Reed to be salvageable, he expected the man to hate him for the rest of his life. He pondered various what ifs as he followed the Detective out the back doors. Once outside, he reached into his pockets, producing a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. Ah, so he smoked. That was probably why he agreed so easily to going outside, his nerves must have been shot. Connor sidled up next to him as he exhaled a puff of smoke, watching it curl up and fade away in the cold morning air. 

  
  


“Detective?” 

“Hm?” Gavin didn’t even bother to look at him. His eyes were unfocused, off in the distance. But when Connor didn’t continue, he finally looked back at him. The bags under his eyes seemed darker. “What do you want, Connor?”

“Why did you help us yesterday?” After a beat, and the sudden stiffness of Gavin’s shoulders, he continued. “Who’s Eli?”

“Listen, I’m no android, but I sure as hell know a panic attack when I see one. That shit ain’t fun.” Gavin took a couple drags of his cigarette before he continued. He looked at odds with himself, like he wasn't sure about answering the other question. “Eli’s my older brother. Half-brother, but whole dipshit.”

“Elijah Kamski?”

“How…” Gavin’s eyes went wide as he dropped the cigarette from his lips, it landed in a pile of slushy snow. At least it wasn’t a fire hazard. “How-- Did he tell you? How do you know that?”

“He said “Gavin would be laughing so fucking hard at me right now” at one point when I was speaking with him. Then you mentioned an “Eli” yesterday. It wasn’t too long after I had spoken with Kamski--”

“Alright, alright, I get it already, you played detective and got it right.” Gavin picked up the now useless and damp cigarette and squinted when Connor simply stared at him. “What? I may be an asshole, but I don’t litter. Before you ask, no I don’t hate you, never did.”

  
  


Gavin twirled the damp excuse of a stick of chemicals and nicotine in his fingers. He refused to look at Connor. There was a slight tremor in his free hand, the one holding the silver lighter still. He almost looked like he wanted to light a new one, like the stress in him wouldn’t dissipate until it was changed into the form of a smokey exhalation. The detective’s heat rate increased as he let out a soft snort, some sort of bitter laugh, and he looked up at the sky. He smiled then. A real and genuine smile. His mouth was closed, but there was still a form of happiness in it. Muted and distant, but still very real. A low hum came from his as he closed his eyes. 

A shrug and then he was off, headed back into the building. The cigarette was forgotten as it was dropped into the trash. Left half finished, just like their conversation. Gavin didn’t say anything as he opened the door. He didn’t say anything as he let Connor walk in first. He didn’t say anything as a young woman with brown hair pulled up into a messy bun crashed into him with a hug. 

She was...short. Not much taller than five feet, even with her bootie shoes on. Connor found himself smiling as she worried over Gavin, gently scolding him for being ‘out too late’ the previous night. She must have been someone close if she knew the detective’s whereabouts. Her actions almost reminded himself of how he and his brothers doted over one another, making sure every one of them was alright. She reminded him of Niles, almost. As Connor went to join his brothers in Fowler’s office, he was stopped by a hand grabbing at his wrist. She really did remind him of his little brother. 

  
  


“You’re Connor, right?” She smiled, her lip ring shined from the fluorescent lights. As did her other piercings. She had green eyes, dark brown hair, she was covered in freckles that looked like they threatened to consume her. “I’m Madison, I’m this dipshit’s little half-sister.”

“Madds--” Gavin blushed. _Detective Gavin Reed blushed._ “This is-- She’s-- Well…”

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Reed.” Connor frowned slightly as she screwed up her face in a dramatization of disgust. Gavin made a sound that was of false hurt in response. He didn’t understand. “Do you and the Detective not share a last name?”

“Nah, we all have our moms’ last names. I’m Madison Jennerson. I’ve heard a lot about you, Connor.” Well that piqued his interest. That must have come into play with Gavin saying he never actually hated Connor. His interest must have shown, because she laughed heartily and somewhat leaned on her older brother. Gavin’s arms went around her shoulders in a form of a hug. So casual, so simple, so easy. Madison fiddled with her brother’s sleeve before muttering about him smoking again. “Listen, I can talk to you after. I’ve gotta be the typical overbearing sibling. Sorta my job at this point!”

  
  


Madison was quick to reach out and squeeze Connor’s hand, a soft and pleasant smile on her face. She was...warm. Kind. Connor decided he would like to get to know her better at some point. For now, he had his brothers to take care of, just like she had hers. As he walked away, he could hear her voice lower and get thick with tears. She wouldn’t stop saying how scared she was for Gavin, how much of an idiot he was for risking his life like that. It wasn’t right to eavesdrop on such an emotional and personal conversation. Connor shook his head and tried to rid the woman from his memory for the time being. 

Fowler’s office seemed quiet, Niles and Markus sitting in chairs and each reading off of a tablet. If body language was anything to go off of, then things were okay. Niles was relaxed and starting to go back to his usual adult’s mindset. Markus practically melted into the chair. It was...a sight to see. Fowler paid them no mind, only looking up to see who had come into the room. He gave a non-committal wave before picking up his phone when it rang. The other RK brothers looked up and Markus dragged himself out of his chair. So simple, so easy. Connor hugged his brother tightly before letting go. Knowing Gavin was the middle child was almost comforting. They had something in common aside from brown hair and being tied to the DPD. Something personal. Something so brutally human. Connor pointed out that Gavin had a younger sister, something Niles nodded at and mentioned that he had met her before. From the tone of voice, Niles had finally calmed down enough to have an adult’s mindset. 

The three of them quietly thanked Fowler while he was on the phone and left the office. It was unusually quiet in the precinct. Maybe it was because Hank wasn’t present to yell, or because the officers seemed a bit on edge with the three Deviant Leaders in their building. But the quiet wasn’t unwelcomed, for Connor at least. It let him think. Though the comfortable silence was broken every now and again from Gavin exclaiming his sister’s name and her snickering. A pleasant way to break the silence. However, business was business he supposed. Markus wanted to find Detective Reed again, since he was supposed to keep watch over the three brothers. Niles wanted to go home, checking on Hank was the first thing that came to his mind. Connor...Connor wanted to get to know Gavin and Madison better. They could kill three birds with one stone. Invite the siblings back to Hank’s house. Before his brothers could say no, Connor gently tapped Madison on the shoulder from behind and asked if she and her brother would like to accompany them back to their home. Gavin immediately declined, whereas Madison’s eyes practically sparkled as she accepted. Gavin sighed and then accepted the offer. 

She more or less skipped out of the precinct, Gavin trailing behind her with her bag. She must have left it by his terminal. Markus was quick to point out the pro-android pins as well as some other artistic keychains and badges. Niles seemed to know her best out of the RK brothers, and he explained what each of them were. Connor didn’t listen though, he wanted to hear it from her. The brothers were surprised by the mass of press in front of the building, causing Gavin to curse and tell them to just follow his sister. He handled the reporters, answering only a few of their questions vaguely, and deflecting any that were off-topic. Connor got pulled along by Niles. Madison seemed to weave through the crowd easily, maybe because she was easily dismissed due to her height. But it was almost like it was practiced. Maybe she was just used to it from the city. 

A few minutes later Gavin joined them at his car. A beat up old thing that definitely had seen better days. They climbed in once he unlocked it, Connor giving him Hank's address, and they made their way to the Lieutenant’s house. Music blasted through the speakers, mostly mid 2010’s songs, a few from the early 2020’s. Gavin and Madison sang along to the apparent CD they had on without a care. Windows rolled down despite the cold weather, Madison taking her hair out of its bun and letting it flutter with the wind. Niles laughed as it hit Markus in the face a few times. It was still home. In Gavin Reed’s car, with music blasting loudly out the windows, he and his brothers sitting in the backseat and listening to the two siblings sing with no regard for the actual pitch of the song. To make things even better, Niles didn’t seem to mind being around Gavin as long as Connor and Markus were around. For a little while nothing mattered. The revolution was over, androids were in a limbo but they weren't being burned again. The city was actually quite peaceful. Being in that car was simple. It was home. 

With older music playing so loud Connor was afraid the siblings would burst their eardrums. With Markus being hit in the face by Madison’s hair. With Gavin tapping along to the song on the steering wheel. With Niles laughing at his eldest brother’s misfortune. With Connor sat behind a man he previously stood in front of as a gun was pointed at his head. It was home, _he_ was home. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I didn't anticipate my hands putting Madison in here. She's my one and only DBH OC who is a menace to her brothers. I guess she's gonna be in this from time to time ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to comment! Tell me what you like, what you don't, feel free to analyse this to your heart's content!


End file.
